Psychiatry coverage changes for Saint Joseph, Good Samaritan hospitals
By Ryan Jackman, MD, Peaks Region Behavioral Health Medical Director
As you may be aware, Kaiser Permanente will terminate its psychiatry coverage for non-KP patients at Saint Joseph Hospital and Good Samaritan Hospital, effective Monday, March 31. They will discontinue seeing all psychiatry patients (including KP patients) on Monday, June 30, at both hospitals.
We have implemented interim solutions to ensure that both SJH and GSH continue to receive psychiatric consult care with as little disruption as possible. Below are the details regarding interim solutions, coverage hours and contact information.
Interim solutions
Our long-term plan is to employ psychiatrists within the Medical Group to provide consult liaison services to the Front Range hospitals, including expansion of coverage to Platte Valley Hospital. Processes are underway toward this permanent plan. We anticipate this transitional period will last several months to a year, based on the recruitment process. The following measures will ensure continuity of care and support for our patients during this transitional period.
Locum psychiatrists are in the process of being hired to support SJH and GSH. Once locums are contracted, they will be available to complete consults in-person during business hours M-F. One locums physician will cover both hospitals at the same time and will round at both hospitals during the same day. This physician will be available for follow-up discussions regarding patients while rounding at the other hospital.
Until locums are on site, we are working to set up an agreement to allow for telephone curbside consultations for more urgent matters, including medication issues. More to come, once this has been finalized.
Onsite behavioral health teams and telecrisis will continue to support in their current capacity. (Note: telecrisis doesn’t support telepsychiatry.) After locums are contracted, these teams will be the primary resource for after-hours and weekend coverage, as well as services provided through our Emergency Departments. These teams remain our plan to bridge services while the above two interim solutions are being implemented.
Click the button below for a list of services with which our behavioral health practitioners (non-psychiatrists) are able to assist.
Contact information
If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to the following people, all of whom are involved in creating this solution. We welcome feedback as we work toward a solution for our hospitals, our dedicated staff and our patients.
Saint Joseph Hospital
John Tynes, MD, MBA, CMO
Celia Myers, LPC, LAC, BH Team Lead
Good Samaritan Hospital
Liz Withers, MD, MBA, CMO
Eva Hobson, LCSW, BH Team Lead
Peaks Region Behavioral Health Service Line
Ryan Jackman, MD, Medical Director
Jenessa Williams, Service Line Director
Melissa Rapp, BH Program Manager
Thank you for your support in this matter. We know that because of our excellent teams at both care sites we are going to navigate this situation well.