Monarch Using Pings Service to Reconnect with People in Need

When it comes to providing quality care, timing is critical. Monarch staff have a new tool to help them connect with people who need support more quickly, thanks to a recently expanded service known as Pings.

Earlier this year, the behavioral health network service within Monarch was piloted at the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) in Albemarle. After the successful pilot ended, the Pings service was introduced at all Monarch behavioral health sites across North Carolina.

Today, the Pings service, provided through Bamboo Health, delivers an electronic, real-time notification whenever patients, who receive services from Monarch, are admitted to, discharged from or transferred to another health care provider whether a hospital, skilled nursing facility or emergency department.

Vice President of Integrated Care, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC), Monique Lucas, BSN, RN, CCM, CCCTM, explained that the Pings service assists both people supported through Monarch as well as staff in providing opportunities for follow-up with this critical information that may not otherwise be received.

The Pings service began at Monarch serving over 1,500 individuals supported through the CCBHC. With the current full implementation, Pings supports over 28,000 individuals who receive mental health services. Pings works like this:

1. An individual who receives services through Monarch seeks treatment at a facility, like a hospital or emergency department, in the Pings network.
2. Monarch staff receive an electronic, real-time notification when the individual is admitted, discharged or transferred.
3. Monarch staff reach out to the person supported after being notified to assist with any additional mental health services needed.

The key result of the Pings service is knowing that a person we support may be in need of additional care, Lucas remarked: “Pings assists Monarch staff in being able to do that with receiving notification in real-time and providing opportunities to connect to see if they require any additional behavioral health services.”

Lucas provided case studies of people supported through Monarch in which the full benefit of the service was evident. She shared about a mother who had received behavioral health care services from Monarch after the death of her son, and ultimately was healing and progressing well with therapy and medication management.

“A year later on the anniversary of her son’s death, the person supported sought services from a local hospital while she was having a difficult time,” Lucas shared, adding that a Pings notification was transmitted to Monarch.

Following receipt of the Pings notification, Monarch staff reached out to the mother and expressed gratitude for the call coming at just the right time. “She needed us to call and re-engage her in care. Without Pings, we would not have been there for her. That speaks volumes to the quality of care that can be provided to people supported and to be there in their time of need,” Lucas noted.

An added benefit, Lucas points out, is having the opportunity to connect with other key health care agencies being used by the people we support. “Pings analytics allows us to see what facilities are frequented and then strengthen those relationships and ease that transition of care where needed,” described Lucas.

The benefits from using the Pings service are multi-faceted, Lucas pointed out and include the ability to reach out to people supported to offer help, connecting with health care agencies used by people also supported through Monarch, and providing critical data that can improve services. “These benefits of the Pings service offer great insight on many levels including how and where to focus and indicate ways that we can use our resources to coordinate better care,” she stressed.

For more information about Monarch services visit our website and click on the “Our Services” tab at the top or call (866) 272-7826.