Sites Professionals

Tag: Psychiatrists

  • Understanding Your Responsibilities in the California CURES 2.0 Program

    Understanding Your Responsibilities in the California CURES 2.0 Program

    The Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System, also known as CURES 2.0, comes from California’s Health and Safety Code Section 11165.1.

    Effective Oct 2, 2018, all doctors, prescribing schedule II, III and IV to patients for the first time must consult the CURES system no earlier than 24 hours before prescribing (or the previous business day). They are also required to check the CURES system at least once every 4 months thereafter if the controlled substance remains part of the treatment plan of the patient.

    Doctors, if you don’t already have a login, you can register at this link.

    Potential Impact on Mental Health Organizations

    Organizations that provide medication support services may want to be prepared for a number of changes. These are among the things we think you will want to consider and prepare for:

    • Allocate more time for initial medication evaluations and for medication follow ups, as all doctors will need to check the CURES database when they prescribe a controlled substance.
    • The doctor will also need to check the CURES database prior to prescribing each/any new controlled substance medication.
    • A system may need to be implemented that flags the patient’s chart or set a reminder for the doctors to check the CURES database every 4 months for those patients taking controlled substances. This will need to occur for as long as the patients are taking the same controlled substance as part of their treatment plan.
    • Doctors covering for other doctors prescribing or providing a refill of a controlled substance, will have to check the CURES database as it will count as their first time prescribing a controlled substance to that patient.
    • For potential auditing purposes, it is highly recommended that the prescriber document the CURES database check in the patient’s chart, or place the Patient Activity Report (PAR) from the CURES database in the patient’s chart.
    • Only the prescribing doctor can check the CURES database when prescribing a controlled substance. Support staff can be identified as “Delegates” by the prescribing doctor, but they can only request the PAR for the prescribing doctor to review. The report will be posted to the prescribing doctor’s dashboard where only she/he will be able to view it and print.
    • The CURES requirement also applies to out-of-state doctors providing telemedicine/telepsychiatry services to patients living in California.

    Exemptions

    There are exemptions to this requirement, including certain treatment settings and emergency scenarios. If you think you may qualify for an exemption, we suggest that you first get confirmation from the California Department of Justice. However, our recommendation would be to always check the CURES database as part of your risk management practices.

    Be Prepared

    To better understand the CURES program and its effects, we reviewed a number publications and spoke by phone to representatives at the California Department of Justice and the California Medical Board. Please be aware that your practice or organization may be impacted differently.

    Additional Information

    California Medical Board CURES FAQ
    California DOJ CURES FAQ
    California Hospital Association on CURES

  • Effortless Psychiatric Placements

    Effortless Psychiatric Placements

    We have years of experience in the field of community mental health in California. Whether you are looking to add 1 day or 5 days to your practice, Sites Professionals makes working with at-risk and underserved populations a seamless and rewarding experience. We do this by vetting the agencies and practitioners we work with and carefully matching you based on your skills, experience, and requirements. When you work with us, you have our full support.

  • Sites Professionals is Different

    Sites Professionals is Different

    How we are Different

    There are many varieties of staffing, recruitment and locum tenens businesses out there. Most of these businesses take advantage of inefficiencies in the market by casting a wide net and failing to sufficiently vet and match mental health agencies and practitioners. They also provide little to no additional support during the placement.

    Sites Professionals puts a tremendous effort into matching qualified candidates to excellent agencies. We work in partnership with practitioners and the medication support team for the duration of placements.

    Partnering with Us

    Think of Sites Professionals as augmenting your psychiatric practice. By working with us on a placement, you also get all the added value we provide. Finding and matching individuals to agencies is just the beginning. Before the a placement begins, we will have met with the leadership team at the agency, conducted full credentialing and provided malpractice insurance for the practitioner, and assisted with setup including telepsychiatry and EHR training.

    Once a placement has begun we continue to provide technical support as needed, handle time cards and billing, and remain responsive and engaged. Should you need it, we are also available to help your medication team with best practices, feedback on policies and procedures, staffing configuration and more.

  • Winning your Psychiatric Placement

    Winning your Psychiatric Placement

    In this video we offer some thoughts and pointers for navigating paperwork and building a great support team in community-based mental health care.

  • Change pt 2: Psychiatric Practitioners

    Change pt 2: Psychiatric Practitioners

    There are three components to being customer oriented, and each must be attended to. They are: Who are your customers? What do they need? What are your distinctive competencies capable of servicing those needs?

    In the case of most psychiatric practitioners, ‘customers’ includes patients, mental health treatment agencies, and the public or private sources of funding; each of these with distinct and changing needs.

    This creates a moving target for practitioners looking for new opportunities. Furthermore, the experience and education that comprise a practitioner’s distinctive competencies represent a significant investment and are not easily adapted to drastic change in the industry.

    Do your homework and diversify.

    In the short to medium-term, the best way to find a stable and fulfilling position in a community mental health setting is to do your homework. Agencies typically post open positions based on population served and credentials required but you can dig deeper. Ask them questions about their contracts and sources of funding. Ask where they see themselves growing and about the professional interests and expertise of senior managers. Get to know their treatment philosophies and how they foster collaboration and effective utilization of treatment teams. The answers to these questions will give you a more complete picture of what it would be like to join them. This approach has been useful to us too, and only scratches the surface on what is involved in a great placement.

    Thinking longer-term, we recommend diversification. Look for opportunities to service different populations in different treatment settings. This can be done in part-time or short-term placements, or by jumping feet first into something new. The experience you gain will be both fulfilling and valuable. Related to diversification is the strength of your peer group. Building a professional network of practitioners will keep you connected and informed in an ever-changing industry. Taking these steps will put you in the driver’s seat and prepared to adapt.

  • Placement Service for Prescribers

    Placement Service for Prescribers

    Sites Professionals simplifies the process of matching and placing you with local agencies, so that you can have an impact in the areas of greatest need. The advantages of working with us include finding flexible assignments in the areas of focus that most interest you.

    We know that you can provide the best care to patients when the work is closely aligned with your passion and you are not overly burdened by the administrative processes that come along with it.

    Working with Sites Professionals, whether to work a couple days a week or to find a new full-time position, gives you the benefit of 24/7 support from a team with expertise in the laws and processes of mental health. You set your rates, hours and availability. Let us take care of the rest.

  • Thoughts on Burnout

    Thoughts on Burnout


    There’s much discussion these days about burnout, particularly among physicians and psychiatrists. Medscape and the American Psychiatric Association recently published and discussed a survey indicating 40% of MDs are experiencing some level of burnout.

    It’s safe to say that this problem is not limited to doctors. It’s common for people at all levels in the field of mental health to have had feelings of burnout from time to time.

    The complexities of the helping field only complicate a profession that requires you to be emotionally present on a daily basis. The challenges of bureaucracy and paperwork only make matters worse.

    Self-care and maintaining a healthy work culture with empathy are essential to alleviating burnout in your team.

    Helping you manage bureaucracy and paperwork is our small contribution to alleviating this problem.

  • SCPS Career Day

    SCPS Career Day

    Thank you to everyone we met yesterday, and to the Southern California Psychiatric Society and Didi Hirsch for hosting Career Day.