Screening Patients for Anxiety: Then What?

Implementing the new Preventive Services Task Force recommendation

New recommendations from the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) gives busy primary physicians and their teams one more thing to implement and manage: anxiety screenings. While the recommendation that adults ages 64 and younger should be screened for anxiety is a major step toward improving mental health across the US, for many physicians, the question quickly becomes, ‘OK, screening will identify patients needing help; then what?’

While primary care teams already treat milder cases of anxiety, what happens when they run into severe or urgent cases?

In discussing mental healthcare barriers and problems with getting patients the help they need, a recent Health.com article, quotes USPSTF Member Lori Pbert, PhD:

“There’s a disconnect between primary care providers and mental health professionals that needs to be rectified, too.”

With this draft recommendation, primary care providers should start preparing now for many more patients needing help with anxiety. Find a partner who specializes in mental health to refer your patients to for the best anxiety treatment for their needs – so you can focus your time on what you do best.

Get to Know Your Go-To Psychiatry Referral Team

Here are some questions to consider when evaluating your referral options for your patients with anxiety:

• Are they qualified?
• What treatment options do they have?
• How will they keep you informed?
• Are they focused on pushing particular medications? 
• Do they also incorporate health coaching?
• Do they work with insurance companies?

You may have other questions you would like answered, but these are some of the big ones to make sure you are sending your anxiety patients to the right place. 

If you’re looking for a partner in the Rapid City area, Manlove Brain and Body Health (MBBH) may be the right fit. Below are our answers to the questions we’ve outlined above to help you in your search for the right mental health specialists.

Are they qualified?

Led by board certified Psychiatrist, Dr. Stephen Manlove, MD, our team of mental health professionals helps patients with a wide range of psychiatric disorders including anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, mood disorders, dementia, and more. We offer unique treatment options for those with severe anxiety or treatment resistant depression that has not improved with common antidepressant medications. Meet our team.

What treatment options do they have?

We offer a full spectrum of psychiatric interventions, plus special options for treatment resistant depression including ketamine, esketamine (Spravato), and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), genetic testing, and comprehensive laboratory evaluations.

How will they keep you informed?

Prescribers at Manlove Brain and Body Health regularly coordinate care with primary care and specialists and may refer patients for social work case management.  We are happy to regularly discuss best practices via email, phone, or video conferencing. 

Are they focused on pushing particular medications?

At Manlove Brain and Body Health, we know that prescribing more medications can cause additional side effects. Our mental health professionals take a deep dive into each patient’s medical history, genetics, lab results, lifestyle, and current medications to create a personalized treatment plan that will get to the root of their psychiatric symptoms without adding unnecessary medications. Our goal is to help each patient improve their overall health by influencing as many factors of overall health as possible – nutrition, exercise, relationships, medication regimen – as part of their treatment plan, which has proven to increase responses to psychiatric treatments and reduce recidivism rates from the average rate of 40-50% down to the 20% we see at our clinic. 

Taking a holistic approach not only improves responses and helps patients see results faster, but it also ensures that your patient doesn’t end up right back in your office to start all over again. We don’t push any particular medication but provide a wide variety of options to find the best match for each patient. We also offer non-medication options such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). We work hard to ensure that we get to the root cause of your patient’s anxiety, depression, mood disorder, or psychotic disorder while simultaneously improving other areas of their overall health.

Do they incorporate health coaching?

Each of our mental health specialists at Manlove Brain and Body Health knows that overall health is vital to implementing effective treatment plans for all brain diseases including anxiety, depression, dementia, and mood disorders. Our providers often provide recommendations for patients to help improve their overall health and check on their progress since we typically see our patients on a regular basis. MBBH also offers brain health coaching with Certified Health Coach, Jodi Thom for those who are looking for a personalized guide to help improve their habits for activity, nutrition, sleep, and relationships. 

Do they work with insurance companies?

We work with insurance providers to help make mental healthcare affordable. We recommend that patients call their insurance provider to verify outpatient mental health benefits and that Manlove Brain + Body Health is in-network prior to their first appointment.

When Your Anxiety Screenings Are Complete: Give Us a Call

After you have completed your anxiety screenings, give us a call at 605-348-8000. We are happy to work with you to help provide your patients with the help they need.