Meridian Advanced Psychiatry (MAP) has strived to provide specialized medical services in Idaho – in particular, addressing the increasing demand for ADHD diagnosis and management.
Recognizing a growing need for comprehensive ADHD services supported by effective diagnostic tools, Chief Executive Officer Kyle Ronnau and Chief Business Development Officer Kevin Hulsey set out to improve the clinic’s capabilities.
The challenge: Ensuring quality ADHD care across sites
ADHD diagnosis often relies heavily on subjective measures like patient self-reports and questionnaires, which when combined with bias from both the patient and clinician, can lead to inaccuracies in diagnosis and treatment plans.
The primary challenge across MAP clinics was the limitations of the ADHD diagnostic tool they were considering using at the time, which fell short in offering comprehensive insights into patient symptoms. It only provided binary ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers without any clinical context, which stopped clinicians from interpreting and understanding their patient’s conditions thoroughly.
With many patients attributing a lot of their issues to ADHD before a formal diagnosis, it’s becoming increasingly important for clinicians to be able to get unbiased data into their performance.
Kyle commented: “They’ve come up with a conclusion that they have ADHD and then their brain fills in the gap.
“When you ask questions, like on an ASRS, their brains are quickly saying ‘if I say yes, it’s supportive of any ADHD diagnosis, if I say no, it’s not’. Then they believe it, so I don’t think you’re getting honest answers out of them, but not on purpose.”
Kyle noticed the amount of time his clinicians spent sifting through patients’ lived experiences to assess their condition, prompting the search for a better solution which gave clinicians confidence in their clinical decision making – QbTest.
Solution: Integrating QbTest across Meridian Advanced Psychiatry clinics
MAP adopted QbTest to not only objectively measure attention, impulsivity, and activity to get a deeper understanding of its patient’s symptoms beyond a simple binary result that alternative tools offered, but to reduce wait times and increase diagnostic confidence in their clinicians.
Integrating QbTest into MAP’s diagnostic process involved several steps:
1. Training and familiarization: Clinicians went through comprehensive training to understand the functionality of QbTest and how to interpret the results.
2. Process integration: QbTest was seamlessly integrated into the clinic’s diagnostic workflow across different sites, making sure that it bolstered existing practices and improved the overall diagnostic accuracy.
3. Continuous evaluation: The clinic continuously monitored the effectiveness of QbTest, gathering feedback from clinicians and patients.
Outcome: Efficient ADHD pathways across multiple sites
Adopting QbTest into MAP’s clinics resulted in a marked improvement in its ability to diagnose and manage ADHD. The tool’s comprehensive data allowed clinicians to:
Make informed clinical decisions
Objective results that support clinical interviews provide a deeper understanding of each patient’s condition, leading to more accurate diagnoses. It has reduced the reliance on potentially biased patient self-reports.
Currently, MAP doesn’t diagnose or treat patients for ADHD without carrying out a QbTest assessment to corroborate their clinical decisions.
Kyle said: “At Meridian Advanced Psychiatry, it’s our usual practice for all patients to undergo QbTest as part of their comprehensive ADHD treatment plan.”
Consistency across clinics
By implementing QbTest across all MAP clinics, the organization has standardized its ADHD diagnostic process.
This consistency ensures that all patients receive the same high level of care regardless of which clinic they visit as well as demonstrates the impact their service has on symptom change and improvement.
Facilitated further expansion with more clinics
QbTest has helped with MAP expanding with further clinics as policy, procedure, and provider training is consistent across the board.
It has also felt confident in moving forward with the acquisition of an additional nearby clinic which was already using our tool.
Kevin commented: “The decision to acquire the ADD Clinic of Idaho was made much easier when we realized they were also using QbTest in their service. This gave us confidence that we were partnering with a group of providers seeking a higher standard of care.”
Attracts patients seeking a robust ADHD evaluation process
QbTest has now become integral to MAP’s business model, influencing its standard operating procedures, clinic design, and patient care processes.
Each new clinic is designed with a dedicated QbTest room, highlighting its importance in the overall patient experience. It has found that by offering QbTest, it is differentiated from other providers, attracting patients seeking reliable and objective ADHD diagnostics.
Kevin said: “QbTest has become an integral part to all our providers at MAP. So much so that when we design new clinics and locations, we are designing a QbTest specific rooms to optimize the environment for test taking.”
Increased efficiency
The cost-effectiveness and reliability of QbTest has allowed the clinic to serve more patients without compromising on diagnostic quality.
MAP can see patients within a few days if they aren’t limited by specific providers or locations, which could have patients otherwise waiting up to only two weeks. Treatment is happening at a quicker rate and becoming an important part of its business development process.
Patient engagement and trust
Patients often come to MAP clinics with a preconceived belief that they have ADHD. QbTest helps to either validate or refute these beliefs objectively, building trust in the diagnosis and treatment plan.
Insurance and cost management
While not all insurance providers cover the QbTest, MAP emphasizes the significance of objective, computerized testing for all patients seeking ADHD treatment. This commitment highlights the essential role of the QbTest in delivering high-quality patient care.
Kyle said: “QbTest is essential to our providers and we strive to eliminate any obstacles to taking it. To achieve this, we offer QbTest at most of our locations, provide convenient testing times, minimize the need for physical office visits, and are mindful of financial constraints.
“While most insurances will reimburse for the test, for those that don’t, we work closely with our patients to ensure that financial constraints don’t limit access to this important test. Our goal is to make the test both accessible and affordable for everyone.”