Partnering to Improve Patient Care

To address the growing need for behavioral health resources among patients, Dr. Whitney Slade and 71 other Methodist Medical Group primary care physicians are partnering with the Dennis H. Jones Living Well Network.

“We got involved with the Living Well Network because we needed help. Mental health is a part of our patients’ overall care, but many of them are not able to see a psychiatrist because their insurance will not cover it or the wait time is too long,” Dr. Slade shared. 

“Psychological disorders like depression are having a huge impact on medicine. It’s all intertwined, and this has become a huge part of our practice,” explained Dr. Slade.

Reduced insurance coverage and a lack of accessible, affordable psychiatric care are just a few of the challenges that Dr. Slade and other primary care physicians now face when trying to connect patients to behavioral health resources. 

Methodist Medical Group physicians, including Dr. Slade, are now screening patients for depression on an annual basis and referring those in need of additional support to the Living Well Network.

“When a patient expresses feelings of depression, we will screen them. If they are in need of additional support, we connect them directly with the Living Well Network, and we are able to find a resolution to their issues while they are still in our office.”

Through the Dennis H. Jones Living Well Network, physicians are now able to connect patients to web-based resources, phone-based support from a behavioral health specialist, and prompt referrals to behavioral health providers.

PHOTO: DR. WHITNEY SLADE