InCrisis Review

By:  Mark Miller, MD, NP
Physician
Internal Medicine and Naturopathic Medicine

Dr. Miller is a distinguished physician who is one of a small number of physicians in the United States who are trained and Board Certified in both internal medicine and naturopathic medicine. He is an expert in the field of medical and complimentary health care.

The delivery of adequate mental health care in today’s world of managed health care and its demands upon both patients and physicians has become increasingly problematic for primary care physicians. Diminishing reimbursement schedules have forced physicians to see patients for shorter visits in order to see more patients. For many physicians, there is only enough time to address a “chief complaint.” More often, physicians can focus only on a physical concern. It is rare when a primary care physician can ask “How are you really feeling?” or “How are things at school?” Emotional and mental issues are often addressed after the physical concerns have been examined, and all potential physical causes for a problem have been ruled out. In truth, primary care physicians do not typically have time to conduct an adequate psychiatric screening, let alone an evaluation. Even so, physicians do find themselves in a position where they are examining adolescents whose parents believe their child has a mental, emotional, addictive or behavioral disorder. With a scarcity of psychiatrists who work with adolescents, many primary care physicians are left with no alternative but to treat children with medications – often without comprehensive screening or consultation with a mental health care professional.

The new InCrisis screening and report generating system is an invaluable tool for primary care physicians. The screening report has immediate value toward the evaluation of an adolescent’s mental and emotional status. The questionnaire format and organization of summary reports are clearly parent friendly – and physician friendly. The manner in which the data is collated and organized into a summary and a detailed report is truly remarkable. A screening that would take many hours can be completed almost entirely by the parent and then reviewed with their child’s physician. And importantly, the ability for these questionnaires to be completed in the comfort of your own home allows time for honest consideration of important issues.

I find that InCrisis reports represent a truly effective means to improve communication between parents, adolescents and their physician. And, an InCrisis report will help primary care physicians communicate more effectively with an appropriate mental health care provider.

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