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EXAMPLES OF ADMINISTRATIVE BEST PRACTICE MODELS AND APPROACHES
Mobile Service Offices - Excel Group The Excel Group had dedicated two mobile recreation vehicles to act as mobile office space for clinical services. The vehicles traveled to rural/isolated parts of the service area on a regular schedule to deliver counseling and related behavioral health services to individuals unable to travel to centralized service locations. The mobile service units were reported to be very successful and cost effective in getting services out to isolated individuals. Consumers and family members have reported that the mobile service units are welcoming, accessible, and effective in delivering services. The program is subject to the same outcome, satisfaction, and performance measurement and quality improvement activities as all other components of the Excel Group.
Cultural Competency Strategies - Excel Group The Excel Group has successfully attained a high degree of cultural competence through aggressive recruitment of bi-lingual and bi-cultural staff to accurately reflect its clients. All staff must complete a comprehensive training experience on social/cultural competency. In addition, the consumers served are proportional to their numbers in the general population (45 percent Hispanic, 2 percent American Indian, <1 percent Black, <1 percent Asian). The Excel Group reports that it has been very successful in reaching out to and serving diverse communities because of its success in recruiting and training bi-lingual and bi- cultural staff.
Tele-Medicine and Tele-Conferencing - NARBHA NARBHA NET Tele-medicine and Tele-conferencing network sites providing psychiatric evaluations, medication monitoring, inpatient staffing meetings, individual therapy, and coverage for emergency and commitment evaluations. NARBHA has the most developed Tele-medicine network in Arizona, including sites in Lake Havasu City, Kingman, Prescott, Cottonwood, Flagstaff, Page, Springerville, Show Low, St. Johns, Holbrook, and Winslow. The total operating budget for the Tele-conferencing program is approximately $370,000. The program provided high quality services to 266 consumers in fiscal year 1998. NARBHA staff feels that decreases in hospital lengths of stay and a reduction in overall medication costs are at least in part attributable to the introduction of the Tele- conferencing technology. According to consumer satisfaction surveys, consumers felt extremely comfortable and satisfied with this type of treatment.
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