A new report says healthcare providers in the Quad Cities need to work harder and more efficiently to address mental health and disability needs here.
Last year residents spoke out in a public forum and complained of poor treatment because of long wait lists or a lack of access entirely. There's even been an ongoing effort to open a new psychiatric ward.
But an 18-page report from North Carolina-based MTM Services says the solution starts with existing providers.
MTM's David Swann says providers need to collaborate better, because care is often compartmentalized.
"So for example a person can go into one system and they have more than one type of problem. They go into one system and they get treated for one condition and then they might get moved to another without a level of collaboration in order to transition them, or they might not get linked up at all."
Swann guesses it's because providers aren't paid based on how well a patient is treated, but simply on the amount of treatment they provide.
The report also says that providers are too quick to utilize inpatient emergency rooms, when instead they should consider mobile services that would serve a patient in their home on the same day they need treatment.
MTM Services held two community forums, conducted one-on-one interviews with 12 providers, and surveyed 25 providers online throughout the Quad Cities.