OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Netsmart today announced it has begun providing comprehensive care coordination technology solutions to the Early Connections Network (ECN) in Tennessee.
Administered through the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, the ECN provides a comprehensive System of Care (SOC) for young children from birth to age five with early childhood mental health needs and their families in Cheatham, Robertson, Sumner, Montgomery and Dickson counties. The ECN is a regional System of Care made possible with a federal grant award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services as part of the Child Mental Health Initiative.
Participating providers in the ECN will utilize the Netsmart CareManager™ solution to centralize care planning; track and share approved clinical information between providers; streamline notes and assessments; monitor outcomes; and track performance and quality indicators. CareManager is an
EHR-agnostic platform for coordinated care and population health.
Netsmart was selected to support the coordinated care services for the network by Advantage Behavioral Health, the Care Management Entity (CME) for the ECN. Organizations currently delivering services as part of the ECN include Tennessee Voices for Children (TVC), Centerstone of Tennessee, Centerstone Research Institute (CRI) and Volunteer Behavioral Health Care System (VBHCS).
The ECN operates as a health home-type entity, one of the many care coordination models emerging as healthcare evolves in the U.S. Teams of healthcare professionals from ECN service providers collaborate to provide coordinated, integrated care. By integrating primary care, behavioral health and social needs, and coordinating care regardless of where the client receives it, they seek to improve quality of care and outcomes while reducing costs.
“Netsmart’s solutions will enhance our ability to allocate resources and facilitate referrals among network providers so children served can receive multiple services and move through the system of care in a coordinated manner,” said Debbie Cagle, CEO, Advantage Behavioral Health.
“We are pleased to provide a layer of care coordination that helps Advantage Behavioral Health and ECN optimize the care children receive through these health home entities,” said Michael Valentine, chief executive officer, Netsmart. “The potential positive impact of this ‘rethink’ on care delivery services is significant, and we look forward to creating some real proof points with our partners in this initiative.”
About the Early Connections Network
The mission of the ECN is to develop a service infrastructure that will give caregivers, providers, educators, community members, and others the essential knowledge, skills, resources and support they need to respond effectively to the social, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral needs of young children and their families. The ECN seeks to achieve the following goals: (1) establish a comprehensive, sustainable System of Care (SOC) with a reliable infrastructure for young children ages 0-5 and their families; (2) reduce stigma and increase community awareness about early childhood mental health needs and the importance of responding to their needs early and effectively; (3) improve outcomes for young children 0-5 who have significant behavioral or relational symptoms related to trauma, parent/child interaction difficulties or impaired social emotional development; (4) provide statewide training and local coaching for providers, families, and community members regarding evidence-based practices for effectively treating early childhood mental health and social emotional needs; and (5) develop a seamless early childhood SOC using a public health model for replication in other areas of the state. For more information about the ECN, visit http://www.tnvoices.org/programs/ECN
About Advantage Behavioral Health
Advantage Behavioral Health is a not for profit behavioral health administrative management organization founded by Centerstone, the nation's largest not-for-profit provider of community-based behavioral healthcare. Advantage specializes in addressing the mental health and addiction needs of vulnerable populations, and partners with primary and behavioral health providers to create integrated,
research-based, cost-effective care solutions. Advantage manages a recognized Employer Assistance Program, Solutions EAP, and operates a nationally-accredited 24-hour Customer Care and Crisis Call Center. For more information about Advantage, call 866-781-8004 or visit www.advantagebehavioral.org/
About Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
The mission of the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services is to plan for and promote the availability of a comprehensive array of quality prevention, early intervention, treatment, habilitation and rehabilitation services and supports based on the needs and choices of individuals and families served. For more information, visit www.tn.gov/mental
About Netsmart
Netsmart is committed to helping health and human services providers deliver effective, outcomes-based care with Netsmart’s CareFabric™ solution, a tightly woven framework of innovative clinical and business solutions and services that supports integrated, coordinated delivery of health services across the spectrum of care.
More than 23,000 client organizations, including 450,000 care providers and more than 40 state systems use Netsmart solutions to help improve the quality of life for more than 25 million people each day. Netsmart clients include mental health and addiction services agencies, health homes, psychiatric hospitals, private and group mental health practices, public health departments, social services and child and family health agencies, managed care organizations, and vital records offices.
Netsmart is pleased to support the EveryDay Matters Foundation, which was established for behavioral and public health organizations to learn from each other and share their causes and stories. Organizations can also request grants for their cause or to help fund technology that advances the way care is delivered. For more information, visit www.everydaymatters.com
Learn more about how Netsmart and the CareFabric solution are changing the face of healthcare today. Visit www.ntst.com, call 1-800-472-5509, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or visit us on YouTube.
CareManager and CareFabric are trademarks of Netsmart Technologies, Inc.
