Page 11 - Telecom Reseller September-October 2016

September/October 2016 Telecom Reseller 11
The Implications of Telemedicine for Cognitive Assessment
Irecently had the pleasure of talking to Dr. William Mansbach, the creator of the Brief Cognitive Assessment Tool (BCAT). e
BCAT is a screening and treatment tool designed for any clinical and residential setting in which cognitive functioning and cognitive impairment is a central issue.
Dr.Mansbachhasbeenactiveinusing telemedicine in his treatment for years and is now beginning to o er his services through video visits.
I was curious to learn more about the implications of video visits for cognitive assessment, and Dr. Mansbach was kind enough to take some time to explain his experiences and the lessons he’s learned.
JAKE What first drew you to telemedicine?
DR. MANSBACH I was rst drawn to telehealth a few years ago because of the demand from
a multi-state healthcare company in the New England area. ey had a need for psychiatric care for remote dual eligible patients who had
no other way of receiving these mental health services on a consistent basis.
Getting a patient into the o ce for mental health visits can be a challenge, this challenge only intensi es when you add barriers such as travel.
Since then we have continued to o er services telephonically but are very interested to expand into o ering visits over video. Layering telehealth into care is very much a trend and we see a
huge opportunity as memory care appears to be lagging behind.
JAKE Wheredoyouseethefitbetween telemedicine and the services BCAT offers?
DR.MANSBACH eBCATisfocusedon providing assessment and care that is a balance
of brevity and validity. Our short form test runs about 15 minutes and can test multiple key cognitive areas. With that in mind, in the scope of telemedicine we see an opportunity to not only o er tests on a more broader scale as provider access increases, but also improve follow up treatment.
O en the test can be administered but follow up lacks, so readmission becomes common. With telemedicine over video not only can we access but we can work with patients to provide more consistent placement and treatment based on the results of testing.
JAKE Whatdoyouforeseeastheimpact of telemedicine on the field of cognitive assessment?
DR. MANSBACH Being able to act more e ciently on assessments is the number one outcome we hope to achieve with telemedicine. Getting a baseline of reportable scores that can be monitored and traced as patients are placed from setting to setting would be massively helpful as we track recovery and treatment. By having more regular touch points with patients over these video visits we can monitor how e ective treatment is.
Being able to act more quickly when a patient is regressing, and adjust treatment and placement accordingly would result in a reduction of readmissions. I would hope eventually that cognitive assessment could become similar to blood pressure, a measure that is easily tested at many access points, and which is monitored very closely.
JAKE Whatbenefitsdoestelemedicine bring to you and your provider team?
DR.MANSBACH Accessandcapabilityto conduct visits have been large bene ts to us
DIBATTISTA
by Jake DiBattista, Territory Manager, SimpleVisit (www. simplevisit.com)
as providers. Being able to overcome barriers in settings have allowed our providers to see patients much more regularly than otherwise possible.
Beyond that there are the cost savings associated with reduced travel and more regular visits. “Trainwreck” events are a nancial burden for everyone involved, so being able to prevent those are a major cost savings as well.
Lastly, it allows our providers to get families
and other providers involved in visits more easily.
O en in geriatric care the family may not be able to make visits, but with telemedicine you remove the conventional barriers of getting the family and care team involved in visits.
JAKE Whatnewopportunitiesdoes telemedicine potentially create for the BCAT?
using telehealth.
On a larger scale we hope to partner with
more businesses looking to o er mental health care who may not be able to a ord it in house. We also see opportunities for care takers
who rely on the BCAT for referrals and can use telemedicine to generate referrals and assess moree ciently.
JAKE What are the broader implications for telemedicine in mental healthcare?
DR. MANSBACH Many of the bene ts I have already discussed apply across di erent spectrums of mental health.
A high tide raises all boats, improving memory care can have a profound e ect on mood and vice versa. ■
First and foremost, it will expand the reach our provider base has.
ere are currently 3,500 providers certi ed to administer the BCAT. Since January 2011 it has been part of the routine medicaid check up to do mental health evaluation, we hope to expand the number of providers we can assist with this
DR. MANSBACH
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