Let the Child Psychiatry Access Network help you help your patients
By Edith Ortiz, MBA
The Child Psychiatry Access Network can assist a primary care physician during a mental-health-focused assessment in the office, providing them with education and recommendations for evidence-based interventions. Studies show that families place enormous trust in you, their family doctor, and often prefer to have mental health issues managed without a referral to a specialist. Our CPAN team is there to support that process as well as help locate mental health services when the problem is severe and warrants specialty intervention.
We are happy to take a call whether the patient is in your office or not. Call us when you get that inbox message and are not sure of the next steps. Call us when an intervention you have recommended is not effective. Call us when you want help explaining a mental health challenge to a family. You will reach a team member within five minutes of your call, and if a child psychiatry team member is needed to assist, they will call you back within 30 minutes.
We value your special expertise and your relationship with your families. We want to be your expert consultation team that provides access to equitable care and provides you with increased knowledge and skills to manage those mild to moderate mental health disorders.
CPAN is ready to provide real-time phone consultation to all Texas primary care physicians, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Just call (888) 901-CPAN. You can sign up on the first call or just get your mental health question answered. CPAN is here for you and the families you serve.
Case of the month: Our University of Texas Austin Dell Medical School team
Each month, Central Texas primary care physicians call the CPAN consultation line with a wide variety of mental-health questions. A CPAN psychiatrist assisted a primary care physician with one such question about a patient, as detailed below.
A 17-year-old girl presented with generalized anxiety disorder being treated with psychotherapy. When symptoms persisted, Sertaline 100 mg was initiated with good effect. The primary care physician was calling because the anxiety symptoms returned with cessation of therapy. The primary care physician wanted assistance considering what might be appropriate next steps. Should they increase the dosage, cross-taper, add augmenting agents, or recommend further therapy? The CPAN psychiatrist educated the primary care physician on the current best practices related to treatment of persistent and recurring anxiety from a holistic perspective. The primary care physician was encouraged to call back as needed to support the physician, the patient, and her family. The primary care physician was grateful to have the CPAN team available to assist as they worked with the family around treatment options.
Additional resources for parents:
- Read "Helping Your Anxious Child, A Step-by-Step Guide for Parents," by Ronald Rapee, PhD, et al.
- Visit https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-Conditions/Anxiety-Disorders
For more information about CPAN, visit https://tcmhcc.utsystem.edu/initiatives/pediatrician-and-pcp/.
Edith Ortiz, MBA, is a project manager with the Centralized Operation Support Hub of the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium. She is also a Senior Business Operations Associate in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Baylor College of Medicine.