Resources for Patient Management

Substance-Use Disorders

The following tools were designed to give primary care physicians additional information and resources when discussing alcohol use, depression, and smoking cessation with their patients.

Alcohol screening in primary care
Help patients quit tobacco

Use this Clinician Collaboration Form for the communication of vital information about patients between behavioral health practitioners and medical practitioners.

Behavioral Health

The following resources support clinical practice consistent with nationally recognized standards of care. Individual clinical decisions should be tailored to specific patient medical and psychosocial needs.

Visit the online Magellan’s Behavioral Health Toolkit to find descriptions of common behavioral health concerns (including substance use), user-friendly screening tools, patient handouts, provider tip sheets, informational materials, and more. Organized by category, it’s designed to give medical practitioners the resources needed to identify potential behavioral health concerns and assist in making behavioral health referrals.

Essential tools for atypical antipsychotics monitoring
These tools were developed by Magellan Health Services to assist providers who prescribe atypical antipsychotic medications to their patients.

Baby FootSteps^® Maternity Program

The Baby FootSteps program supports expectant mothers and promotes a healthy pregnancy throughout each trimester. We ask that you inform pregnant AmeriHealth New Jersey members about the Baby FootSteps program at their first prenatal visit and encourage them to self-enroll by calling our toll-free number, 1-800-598-BABY. Upon calling, a Health Coach will explain the program to the member and ask her a series of questions to complete the enrollment process.

Once enrolled in the program, members will receive a welcome letter that includes a childhood immunization schedule, information on how to access educational materials on our secure member website, amerihealth.com, and the 1-800-598-BABY phone number for questions and support during pregnancy. In addition, high-risk members eligible for condition management will be given the name and contact information for a Health Coach.

End-of-Life Resources

Delivering sad news to patients that includes discussing end-of-life options can be very difficult for the patient, their family members, and you. Here are some key tips in helping prepare for the conversation:

• Do not rush the conversation.
• Hold the discussion in a private, quiet place where everyone can be seated comfortably to participate in the conversation.
• Discuss the patients’ diagnosis, including what the patient understands and the expected prognosis.
• Discuss the differences between palliative care and hospice care and engage the patient and their family in a thoughtful conversation about which course of action is best for the patient.
• Become familiar with your local hospital’s Palliative Care team and how to refer to them.

Advanced Directives by State

Identify the patient’s goals for end-of-life care and discuss their advanced directives. If they do not have an advanced directive, encourage them to make one.

• Delaware
• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania

Additional Resources

• For providers:
  National Physicians Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Paradigm: Use the “Find your state POLST Program” search tool to locate the appropriate program for your patient.
• For patients:
  National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization: CaringInfo: This program provides free resources to help people make decisions about end-of-life care and services before a crisis.
  
  Adult Vaccine Assessment Tool: This tool was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for patients to evaluate their immunization status. The Adult Vaccine Assessment Tool informs the patient what vaccinations are needed according to their age, gender, and medical conditions.
  
  Shared decision-making aids: The Shared Decision Making National Resource Center promotes and provides shared decision making through evidenced based patient decision aids and techniques.

Chlamydia

According to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), “chlamydial infection is the most frequently reported infectious disease in the United States, and prevalence is highest in persons aged ≤24 years.” Left untreated, chlamydia can cause serious pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), ectopic pregnancy, and infertility.

The CDC states, some women who receive a diagnosis of uncomplicated cervical infection already have subclinical upper-reproductive–tract infection. The CDC also reports that asymptomatic infection is common in both men and women. To detect chlamydial infections, health-care professionals frequently rely on screening tests. Annual screening is recommended for all sexually active adults and children.

Health care professionals are encouraged to refer to the Preventive Services Task Force Guidelines for details of screening recommendations. They can also refer to our Medical Policy Statement for coding details.