“Through our partnership with Iris Telehealth, we have someone who can provide high-end and complex medication management for our patients that are most in need. I don’t know if that could have occurred without Iris, but I can say it wasn’t occurring without Iris, and it is occurring now.”
James Reichenbach
Chief Community Impact Officer, Union Community Care
Since 2021, Iris Telehealth has provided behavioral health care services to Union Community Care and helped them increase behavioral health access to their expansive patient population.
Background
Union Community Care (Union) is a Federally Qualified Health Center serving 10+ locations in Pennsylvania, providing primary family medical care, dental care, behavioral health, and social support. Their mission is to spark equity through patient-led healthcare that strengthens their communities through holistic care.
Challenges
Building out a behavioral health program during the nationwide provider shortage is challenging for many organizations – especially given the high demand for behavioral health care. Prior to 2021, Union was operating with a limited pool of behavioral health providers and, without the right resources, they struggled to get their behavioral health program off the ground.
Union was in the 20th percentile in terms of access, translating to only 2 out of 10 patient slots being filled each day. Union is committed to providing high-quality patient care, and they knew they needed a strategic partnership to help build out the behavioral health program and increase access to care for their communities.
Solution
To help build out their behavioral health program, Union partnered with Iris Telehealth and leveraged the Iris Match to bring a team of exceptionally qualified providers into their organization. This approach matches organizations with a provider that meets their unique population’s needs, is aligned with their culture and values, and has a track record of exceptional care.
Among the new team of psychiatric providers was Dr. Kavita Vasu. Dr. Vasu plays an instrumental role in building out Union’s behavioral health department and serves as a guiding force to the organization’s day-to-day operations.
Results
As a result of the partnership with Iris, Union rapidly filled patient slots with providers who expertly facilitate high-end complex medication management for their population, efficiently meeting their community’s behavioral health needs.
Patient access to behavioral health care has improved significantly since the partnership began. Currently, Union operates anywhere from 75-85% access, with 8 out of every 10 spots filled – with the only spots not open being their no-shows.
Reflecting on the impact of working with Iris, James Reichenbach, the Chief Community Impact Officer at Union, said, “It’s surreal to think about how much we’ve grown, and now the issues we’re dealing with are on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, which is too many patients and appointments filled and scheduled far out. As opposed to, at the beginning of the year, telling our patients, ‘Sorry, we don’t have this service.’ That’s no longer an answer I have to give.”
The additional support Dr. Vasu and the other Iris providers have brought to Union has renewed morale and helped instill a sense of reassurance, knowing they have reliable help and reinforcement.
Looking to the future with Iris Telehealth
Union Community Care is a strong believer in the capabilities of telehealth. In the future, Union hopes to continue building out their behavioral health department with high-quality providers.
On their partnership with Iris, Reichenbach said, “If you don’t know where to turn, if you can’t figure out what to do, Iris is a very good solution. They are not reinventing the wheel. They can step right in and do a quick analysis of your needs. They’ve done this before, and my experience is they’re very professional and organized. This solution is especially beneficial for organizations who have a need but have no idea how to do it. If you don’t know where to turn, turning to Iris is a good solution.”
Iris Telehealth is proud to partner with organizations like Union Community Care to help increase access to quality behavioral health care in communities across the country. To learn more about Union’s services and commitment to providing the best possible care for their patient population, you can visit their website here.
If you’d like to learn more about how Iris can help you find the perfect provider match, contact us today for more information!
