Missed mental health outpatient appointments quality improvement project

Problem Healthcare costs in the United States have reached $3.8 trillion dollars, which was noted in 2019, with twenty-five cents out of every dollar lost to operational inefficiencies such as missed appointments.The barriers to consider among patients who struggle to maintain mental health appointments include a belief by some that they no longer need to continue services because they are feeling better, have sufficient medication at home or via the pharmacy, and feel that therapy or providers are no longer addressing their needs. We collected data findings that most patients utilize a smartphone but have no knowledge of how to use its full features for communication, such as calendar, notification and virtual meetings. Missed mental health outpatient appointments reached about 18-21.9%, according to research during the Covid-19 pandemic, which is increasing healthcare costs and negatively shifting service quality, safety, efficiency, patient needs and standards satisfaction. Purpose To establish evidence-based interventions that will decrease missed mental health outpatient appointments barriers and examine factors that will promote adherence to treatment plans, such as streamlining administrative operations to increase the patient's understanding of the mental health process, and developing additional patient-centered communication solutions. Methods The communication methods previously used for appointment reminders have become archaic, with some patients needing more than just a letter by mail. In order to establish a commitment to communication between patients and caregivers early on, NLA established an accountability statement that was used to set patient expectations and responsibilities before beginning treatment. Patients then received a prerecorded video welcome message, explaining the mental health treatment process and the critical importance of keeping appointments up-to-date in their 3 treatment plan. Then, patients were asked to opt-in to receive SMS (short message service) notifications sent to their phones 24-28 hours prior to appointments. Patients were also prompted with the optional choice to establish a partner in care for their treatment. In order to track service and maintain patient engagement, a score survey was used for patients to notate appointment attendance, reasons for any absences, and process improvement recommendations for staff. The survey is presented to patients every 60 days to assist providers in understanding the needs of the patient and to deliver improved continuous mental health care. Results Per NLA February 2026 results, there were 169 total appointments, with 37 missed, a mean of 4, a median of 1, a modal of 0 and a range 5, the interquartile range (IQR) was 19, with 22% of appointments missed overall. According to the data, there is a 1% decrease in missed mental health appointments compared to February 2025. There were 220 appointments in March 2026, with 53 missed, a mean 4.15, a median of 1, a mode of 1 and a range of 6. The IQR was 27, with 24% missed appointments overall, which increased by 2% compared to last year. Both February and March statistics for the years mentioned are all highly correlated, meaning close to the same time of the month and averaging the same amount monthly. Conclusions The QI project major interventions to decrease missed appointments include changing the minds of patients and providers, with transparency, appointment reminders, patient surveys, adding a partner in their care, using a welcome video and accountability statement to sign is where everyone needs to start. This is aimed to strengthen the patients' commitment to accountability for mental health, decrease the negative stigma, which will change the attitudes and behaviors of our patients and providers, communities and population.

Author dc:creator

• Adolphus, Severia

Contributors dc:contributor

• Munyan, Kristen

• Ambulatory medical care--Utilization
• Medical appointments and schedules
• Patient compliance
• Psychiatric clinics

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

dnp:100
oclc:1601633992
local:R_7BrZiIE0UgpvT7X

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:d.lib.msu.edu:dnp_100