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How coordinating with other providers offers best-practice care to Magellan members

An essential element in the quality care you provide to Magellan members is coordinating services among members’ healthcare providers. Of those Magellan providers who recently responded to a survey about coordinating care, most (86%) agreed that it's important for behavioral health providers to keep a client's PCP informed of evaluations and pertinent treatment milestones. And 83% of providers reported that a tool Magellan provides to assist in such coordination is easy to use.*

As you know, coordinating care is most important when members have serious mental health conditions, serious medical issues, a history of higher level-of-care treatment and when substance use disorders are present. Members might not choose to coordinate their care with their PCP, but it is best practice to ask for their consent.

One provider who responded to Magellan’s survey indicated they include a consent form in every new patient package. Another provider said they give patients a summary that the patients can share with their providers. While coordinating care can certainly pose challenges, a treatment team approach helps keep things on track during care.

Key reasons for care coordination

• It promotes patient safety—When medication is prescribed, both the psychiatrist and primary care physician need this information to appropriately monitor potential impact on health conditions and functioning.
• It helps prevent medical complications and prescription pain addictions in cases of substance use disorders.
• It ensures that medical providers and prescribers have access to therapists’ insights about the behavioral health functioning of the member.

You have resources from us to help - Magellan forms make coordinating care easier

You may already use your own forms; if not, you have access to Magellan’s clinician communication form (PDF) and other forms to help you communicate and coordinate care with other providers. In a recent survey, 83 percent of providers reported that the Magellan clinician communication form was easy to use, and most agreed it included the type of information they’d like to share with PCPs. Magellan soon will be evaluating the form for updates based on provider feedback.

Find more on the clinical forms page of our provider website.

Key times to communicate with other providers include:

• After the initial evaluation
• When significant treatment events dictate, including if safety issues arise, at the start of or change in medication, if adverse medication reactions occur, if hospitalization occurs, or when treatment is terminated.

Questions?

If you have questions about coordination of care or another aspect of quality improvement, contact Lorraine Langdon-Hull at (314) 387-4892 or LGLangdon-Hull@MagellanHealth.com.

Thank you for your commitment to caring for Magellan members.

*Magellan Provider iMput Survey, October 2024