GMH@Harvard Webinar: Rapid Implementation of Telepsychiatry in a Safety-Net Health System During Covid-19 Using Lean

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As the coronavirus pandemic progressed toward a critical surge in Massachusetts, leaders of the department of Psychiatry at Cambridge Health Alliance recognized the urgency of continuing to care for patients remotely. Deploying Lean methodology, the department rapidly transformed all outpatient non-urgent mental health appointments to telemedicine within a span of five days. The system redesign process incorporated a customer-centric approach and continuous improvement through monitoring of operational data. Outcomes included a reduction of no-shows, stability in volume of visits, and an opportunity to consider strategies that will enhance seamless delivery of equitable and quality care for all. This presentation provides practical strategies for rapid implementation of telepsychiatry and key takeaways for other health care organizations undertaking similar transformations.

Speaker: Paola Peynetti Velázquez, MPH
Sr. Performance Improvement Advisor, Quality and Safety, Cambridge Health Alliance

Paola earned a BA in International Relations and Latin American Studies and an MPH in Global Health from Boston University. Her interests and focus in graduate school included participatory development, transparency, anti-corruption, ethics, and effective altruism. Originally from Mexico City, Paola joined the Performance Improvement team in the Quality & Safety department at Cambridge Health Alliance in March of 2017.

In her role as Senior PI Advisor, she collaborates closely with senior leadership to plan, facilitate, and execute strategic, system-wide, lean projects to streamline hospital operations with the goal of improving access to care for patients across inpatient, emergency, and ambulatory care settings. Although she has worked with multiple clinical and non-clinical areas across the system, Paola´s focus at CHA has been to support to the Psychiatry department in redesigning dozens of processes to improve provider and staff engagement, reduce chances of error, eliminate waste, and meet CHA´s population health objectives as a safety net Accountable Care Organization.