How to Improve Access to Care for Clients in Behavioral Health | Behavioral Health CRM
September 16, 2025
Summary:
In this episode of Center Stage, we sit down with Art from Clarks Manor at Elwyn to unpack the core blocker in behavioral health today: helping families find the right care fast. Art shares a practical, human-first playbook - build trusted networks across silos, keep provider data current, move records once not five times, and design warm handoffs that protect continuity. The result is fewer false starts, less burnout, and better outcomes.
Key Takeaways:
Start With Fit, Then Speed – Level of care and milieu match come first. Moving someone quickly to the wrong setting creates setbacks that are harder to climb out of.
Break the Silos With Real Relationships – Most referrals are mismatches. Curate a living directory of trusted programs and people, not just websites. Verify contacts and capabilities regularly.
Warm Handoffs Beat Cold Lists – Don’t hand families an 800 number. Name a person, pass context within confidentiality, and stay involved until the connection is made.
Standardize and accelerate client medical record transfer – Today’s referral workflow is slow and messy - week long waits and 150-page faxes. Fix: Use e-sign ROI to allow 90-day cross-program sharing, take one secure upload, generate a 1-page clinical brief (dx, meds, risk, prior LOCs, what helped/hurt, payer path), send to 3–5 candidates, and only share the full chart on request.
Continuity Is Clinical – Plan step-downs early. Map school, work, primary care, and community supports so progress survives discharge.
Trust Is Earned Offline – Site visits + peer vouching drive real trust: Ask “Would you send a loved one here?” Log visit notes and post-placement outcomes for each partner; update quarterly.
Outcomes Create Access – Shared, simple metrics across a community help families choose, reduce ER bed-blocking, and open payer partnerships without losing your model.
Protect Staff From Burnout – Centralize triage, standardize intake questions, and cut duplicate paperwork so clinicians can stay present with clients.
Access and Continuity Metrics That Matter:
Time from inquiry to decision
Time from decision to admission
First-appointment kept after discharge
ER or inpatient days avoided within 90 days
PHQ-9 or GAD-7 change at 30 and 90 days
Family fit score at 30 days
Directory freshness rate partners verified this quarter
Practical Moves This Month:
Publish a Who We’re Right For one-pager and share it widely.
Stand up a shared triage inbox with a 24-hour SLA and coverage rotation.
Adopt a 10-question intake to standardize referrals across partners.
When declining, send three trusted alternatives plus what would change the answer.
Schedule three site visits and log real notes, staff contacts, and exclusions.
