In order to understand how BanCAPs can be helpful, one needs to understand the current state of affairs of mental health care. Children’s mental health problems are real, common and treatable. Mental, behavioral, and developmental disorders begin in early childhood and one in six children aged 2-8 years have been diagnosed with them. Although, early diagnosis and treatment can lessen the negative impact of mental illness, there is an average delay of 8-10 years between the onset of symptoms and intervention. In-fact, nearly two-thirds of children get little or no help. Among children and adolescents aged 9 to 17 years, as many as one in five may have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder. Untreated mental health problems can disrupt children’s functioning at home, school and in the community and can even lead to suicide. In-fact, suicide is the second leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds. Despite all the efforts, prevalence of all forms of mental health disorders in youth are on the rise, especially ADHD and Autism.
Here are the biggest challenges with the current mental health care system:
- Lack of Specialists: Lack of access to trained pediatric mental health professionals. It can be very difficult to identify difference between challenging behaviors and emotions that are consistent with typical child development and those that are cause for concern and special expertise of a child and adolescent psychiatrist is required to make that call, who are in short supply. Wait time for a new appointment can vary anywhere from 3-9 months depending of the geographical area.
- Lack of time: In order to be able to use their expertise and experience to make accurate diagnoses, Child & Adolescent Psychiatrists need to spend enough time with the patient and their families and get input from patients’ teachers and pediatricians. These specialists should be able to spend enough time educating the patient and family about the diagnoses & treatment for a treatment plan to succeed. Unfortunately, in the world where psychiatry treatment is dictated by insurance companies, it becomes a very difficult feat to achieve.
- Lack of collaboration: between psychiatrist, psychotherapist, pediatrician, school social workers and teachers. It can lead to miscommunications and mixed messages confusing patient about the treatment plan.
- Inconvenient care: Poor continuity of care due to inability to see specialists on a regular basis due to lack of appointments, guardians needing to take time off from work to see the specialist in the middle of the work day.
- Noncompliance: Due to lack of education about the diagnosis and what to expect from the treatment. Patient might have unrealistic expectations from the treatment (especially medications) and when those expectation are not met, patients become hopeless and discontinue treatment.
- Lack of support to the patient and family in between scheduled appointments.
BanCAPs Model of Care
Dr. Bansal has a passion for Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and has the desire to help the youth. Dr. Bansal’s vision is to establish a platform where patient can get evidence based psychiatric help in. timely fashion from his treatment team of specialists including a child psychiatrist, therapist, psychologist. A platform where patient centered treatment plans are executed without disruptive the life of patients and their families.
Dr. Bansal’s expansive background of expertise and experience in the field of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry puts him in a position to be able to address the shortcomings of our current mental health care system that has failed to address mental health needs of our young population. Dr. Bansal has navigated this system for more than a decade and he understands these shortcomings. In order to address these shortcomings, he presents you with an innovative model of care that still utilizes evidence-based and scientifically proven treatment modalities. Key components of this innovative model are:
- Use of Technology:
- Effective treatment of psychiatric disorders requires patience and persistent effort by the patient and empathic support of family which can only be achieved if the patient & family continuously stays motivated to follow the treatment plan. BanCAPs used technology to continually remind patients and parents in between their appointments about the key elements of the treatment via age-appropriate audio-visual and reading materials to kids and parents.
- Evaluate and recommend online tools that can assist in diagnosis and treatment
- Use of Tele-psychiatry:
- Improves compliance with doctor’s and therapist’s visits as it is more convenient to patients and guardians.
- Treatment provided at home in patient’s own environment is more effective as children are more likely to open up and share their concerns.
- In certain cases, treatment can be more tailored to patient’s needs.
- Patients don’t waste their precious time driving back and forth to doctor’s office and waiting in the waiting room.
- Very few insurance accepted:
- Dr. Bansal has experienced that working with insurances that keep their profit margin as their bottom line instead of their members’ health is counterproductive to patients’ care. Hence, he has decided to work with only those insurances that take good care of their members. For others, it will be more beneficial to pay cash for our care. A superbill will be provided. Insurances might reimburse based on member’s out-of-network benefits.
- Doctor is able to spend enough time with the patient which helps in more comprehensive evaluation, which leads to more accurate diagnosis, which in turn leads to more accurate and effective treatment plan.
- Doctor is able to spend enough time on psychoeducation which leads to improved patient satisfaction, which further improves patient’s compliance to treatment which collectively leads to better treatment outcome.