Empowering Behavioral Health Settings with the Mental Health Methodology
Behavioral health nursing workload can change significantly throughout a shift, even when patient census remains relatively stable. The AcuityPlus Mental Health methodology was designed to measure the patient needs and nursing work that contribute to that workload.
A Specialized Approach to Behavioral Health Settings
Behavioral health patients often present unique and fluctuating care needs. Our Mental Health methodology uses 24 proprietary acuity indicators to continuously assess and classify patient needs throughout the day. These indicators offer a comprehensive view of patient acuity that goes beyond safety concerns to include cognitive support, care coordination, and wound and injury management.
Seamless Integration, No Additional Workload
AcuityPlus integrates directly with your Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Time and Attendance systems. It uses real-time data from documentation your staff is already completing, such as admission assessments, medication administration, physician orders, and discharge records.
This approach ensures:
- Real-time visibility into patient acuity and resource needs
- No additional workload on nurses or clinical staff
- Actionable dashboards for tracking and trending data at the unit and facility levels
For instance, our Cognitive Support indicator is triggered when documentation suggests a patient may be experiencing delusions (e.g., believing food is poisoned). By recognizing staff notes about reassurance and behavioral interventions, AcuityPlus dynamically adjusts the acuity score for that patient to account for that work.
Another example is the Wound and Injury Management indicator, which captures patients needing specialized assistance, such as dressing changes or stoma care. These subtle but important differences are translated into validated care hour recommendations, supporting fair and efficient staffing assignments.
This proprietary set of indicators allows nurse leaders to compare units, like an adolescent behavioral health unit versus a substance abuse recovery unit, using standardized data for staffing decisions, performance benchmarks, and quality improvements.
Comprehensive Acuity Tracking
Beyond patient care, AcuityPlus also accounts for nursing department responsibilities. From group therapy classes and safety sitter assignments to court appearances and day room monitoring, the solution tracks it all. This results in a holistic view of nursing workload every hour of every day, with no extra steps for your staff.
Equitable Assignments, Backed by Data
The Mental Health methodology isn’t just about monitoring; it’s about actionable intelligence. The AcuityPlus Assignment Module allows nurse leaders to translate acuity data into balanced assignments, ensuring equitable workloads across teams. This moves the assignment process from a subjective task to an objective one, giving nurse leaders the data point to consider when evaluating assignments and workload across the team.
Discover the Power of Acuity-Based Assignments
AcuityPlus supports nursing care teams with a data-driven tool that enhances care, improves nurse satisfaction, and optimizes resource utilization. The Mental Health methodology gives behavioral health leaders visibility into patient acuity, therapeutic workload, and other activities that contribute to nursing workload. This makes staffing assignments smarter, safer, and more sustainable.
The AcuityPlus Mental Health Methodology empowers nursing care teams in behavioral health settings with its objective, data-driven approach to acuity and workload.
Watch the video to learn more about how an acuity-based nursing workload tool can deliver value to your organization.
