Webcast 03 – Do Traditional Psychological Batteries have Utility in the PCBH model? A Pilot Adult ADHD Clinical Pathway

Summary

If you surveyed BHCs, how many would agree that traditional psychological batteries of any kind have a place in the PCBH model? We, the presenters, believe likely most if not all BHCs would answer “no”. The PCBH model is defined as a population-based care model that mimics the pace of primary care. If you considered visit length alone, most psychological batteries are much longer than 30 minutes. Time alone is often cited for the reasons behind a “no” response to including such batteries within this model of care while additional reasons may include: not within the scope of the role of a BHC, unnecessary to help patients with functional improvement goals, and the challenges of cost/billing of psychological testing services. But what if these batteries did have utility in the PCBH model, could BHCs adapt traditional several hour long batteries to fit the needs of primary care? This presentation will provide an overview of a clinical pathway for adult ADHD that used traditional psychological batteries in a “PCBH friendly” approach with a focus on functional improvements. The pathway consisted of an initial primary care provider visit and three behavioral health visits. All visits were kept within the traditional PCBH model timeframe, about 30 minutes in length. The audience will be provided both qualitative and quantitative data on how the pathway was designed, what psychological batteries were chosen and why, outcomes and lessons learned from this pilot study and possible other future pathways that may include psychological batteries within the PCBH model.