Providence addresses clinician burnout with expansion of virtual mental health and wellness concierge service for employees
Burnout rates among health care professionals are an issue nationwide. About 44 percent of health care providers experience signs of burnout, such as stress, anxiety and depression. Recognizing the need for greater access to convenient mental health and wellness services, Providence created Telebehavioral Health Concierge. It is a new offering granting access to virtual appointments for confidential, convenient mental health care when and where it is needed.
Telebehavioral Health Concierge provides same-day or next-day access to licensed mental health professionals for help with addressing burnout and other mental health concerns. The service is now available to 40,000 employees and family members of Providence organizations and partners across Washington, including Providence Health & Services, Swedish Health Services, Kadlec and Pacific Medical Centers. Providence’s remaining family of organizations plan to adopt the service by the end of 2020, making it available to 119,000 employees and their 80,000-90,000 dependents across seven states.
“We heal others best when we are healthy ourselves, mind, body and spirit,” said Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer Amy Compton-Phillips, M.D. “The Telebehavioral Health Concierge is one way to support the well-being of all who serve in our facilities and communities. We’re excited about seeing this innovative service scale and making it available to more people in need.”
The concierge began as a pilot several months ago leading to over 1100 virtual appointments. Initial feedback from program participants further validate the need for greater access to behavioral health services and more convenient solutions. Nearly 50 percent of participants surveyed said they would have not sought professional help if they didn’t have access to this service, or known where else to seek help.
“Growing a virtual care network to improve access across the Western United States is important, because it enables us to deliver tailored care to those struggling to get or find help,” said Telehealth Chief Medical Officer Todd Czartoski, M.D. “The opportunity to care for our own is really special, and we are thrilled to see such a robust response to this service.”
The concierge is the latest initiative in Providence's long-standing efforts to address caregiver burnout. Previously, Providence partnered with other health systems and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in an initiative called Joy in Work. Other initiatives offered include mental health first aid classes to train caregivers to appropriately respond to someone in a mental health crisis, scheduled monthly compassion networking calls and the implementation of training and protocols to help address existing and emerging workplace dangers and find ways to reduce them.
To learn more about the Telebehavioral Health Concierge Program, click here.
About Providence
Providence is a national, not-for-profit Catholic health system comprising a diverse family of organizations and driven by a belief that health is a human right. With 51 hospitals, 829 physician clinics, senior services, supportive housing and many other health and educational services, the health system and its partners employ more than 119,000 caregivers serving communities across seven states – Alaska, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas and Washington with system offices in Renton, Wash., and Irvine, Calif.