Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1446606
25 PATIENT & CAREGIVER EXPERIENCE tive to these interventions, internists and surgeons seek psychiatric consultation, and delivery of mental health services in the hospital is both feasible and effective. Cedars-Sinai is looking at several innovative strategies to improve mental health and reduce reliance on opioids in the management of pain. One innovative program, funded by the NIH, involves the use of virtual reality in pain management. Our work in this space is breaking new ground in the effort to offer VR as an alternative pain management tool for patients. Drs. King and Becker: While our care model shied nearly exclu- sively to remotely delivered video service for both adults and chil- dren, we also launched and dramatically expanded a child psychiatry access portal to support primary care pediatricians both inside and outside of our health system to better identify and treat common mental health conditions in the community. We were able to distrib- ute more than 250 cell phones to severely mentally ill patients to keep them connected to intensive case management services. We invested in mental health supports for our own staff, faculty and students through the creation of a dedicated portal to expedite access to a range of direct clinical services. And we have produced, curated and disseminated a wide range of online wellness and coping re- sources for our employees as well as the public. Recognizing that we have yet to get through a likely winter viral surge, we will continue to deliver the majority of mental health services remotely into 2022. Dr. Potash: We kept our inpatient units functioning, though we converted all of our double-bed rooms to single-bed rooms. On the outpatient side, we continued to see our outpatients, convert- ing most of them to telemedicine. at has proven quite popular, and though we see more people in person than we did in 2020, we have retained about two-thirds of our outpatients as telemedicine visits because of the high level of convenience for patients. is has also reduced our no-show rate. Our most extraordinary accom- plishment was the establishment of a COVID-positive psychiatry inpatient unit at Howard County [Md.], in April 2020. It stayed open through July 2021, and took care of five to 10 patients at a time. It became the focal point in our Johns Hopkins Health System for psychiatrically ill patients who were COVID-positive, but not COVID-symptomatic. On the employee front, we created a MESH (mental, emotional, and spiritual help) group to assist clinicians on the front lines, with support, and, if needed, with psychological and psychiatric care. Dr. Pozuelo: We are expanding our psychiatry consultation liaison service to provide telemedicine consultation to our inpatient med- ical and surgical floors. We continue to work with our community health partners and facilitate point-of-care handoffs at time of discharge to secure follow-up and continuity of care. We are committed to delivering outpatient psychiatric service to our employees (our own employee health plan of nearly 60,000 cov- ered lives), ACO, primary care and specialty-attributable patients. is has prompted an aggressive hiring of 45 mental health provid- ers over the next five years. Still not enough to meet all demands, but a good augmentation of current behavioral health services. Finally, the enterprise at the Cleveland Clinic has continued to raise the awareness of mental health. From the CEO on down, mental health awareness for patients and our caregivers is constantly in the forefront. Over the 25 years I have been at this institution, never have I seen such needed attention and resources being allocated to emotional wellness. Working with diverse stakeholders at the Cleveland Clinic (Office of Caregiver Experience, Office of Patient Experience, wellness and preventive medicine, human resources, employee assistance program, and the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology), a team approach is needed to make sure we re- cruit and retain our most important asset, which is our caregivers. Dr. Schneekloth: Mayo Clinic Arizona has sought to proactively address mental health needs of patients and employees throughout the pandemic. Leadership has authorized significant expansion of clinical staff (psychiatrists, psychologists and social work thera- pists) in the hospital practice, across outpatient specialty groups, and in primary care. e Mayo Clinic demonstrates its commit- ment to wellness among staff through affirmation of team efforts, resource support for staff wellness initiatives, and peer outreach programs to struggling staff. n Physician happiness plunged during pandemic, survey finds By Kelly Gooch P hysician happiness dropped significantly during the pandemic, with 26 percent of sur- veyed physicians saying they were unhappy compared with 9 percent before the public health crisis, according to the results of the "Medscape 2022 Physician Lifestyle and Happiness Report." The report examined survey responses from more than 13,000 U.S.-based physicians in 29 specialties between June and September 2021. Five additional survey findings: 1. About 6 in 10 physicians said they are "very" or "somewhat" happy, down from 8 in 10 before the COVID-19 pandemic. 2. Some physicians pointed to the stress of coming home to unsupportive partners (some downplaying COVID-19 severity) and peers not adhering to safety protocols as adding to the emotional toll of the pandemic. 3. To maintain their happiness and health, 68 percent of physicians spent time with family and friends, and 66 percent spent time doing activities they enjoy, such as gardening, cooking or reading. 4. The majority of physicians said they, at least some- times, don't spend enough time on their own health and wellness, with women spending the least time (27 percent) compared to men (38 percent). 5. For more work-life balance, 55 percent of physi- cians reported they would take a pay cut, compared to 47 percent of physicians who said the same in Medscape's report last year. n