Veterans Health Administration Outpatient Psychiatry Staffing Model: Longitudinal Analysis on Mental Health Performance.

ABSTRACT:

Background

An adequate supply of mental health (MH) professionals is necessary to provide timely access to MH services. Veterans Health Administration (VHA) continues to prioritize the expansion of the MH workforce to meet increasing demand for services.

Objective

Validated staffing models are essential to ensure timely access to care, to plan for future demand, to ensure delivery of high-quality care, and to balance the demands of fiscal responsibility and strategic priorities.

Design

Longitudinal retrospective cohort of VHA outpatient psychiatry, fiscal years 2016-2021.

Participants

Outpatient VHA psychiatrists.

Main measures

Quarterly outpatient staff-to-patient ratios (SPRs), defined as the number of full-time equivalent clinically assigned providers

SUBMITTER: Smith C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10356727 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature