Time allocation and caseload capacity in telephone depression care management

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Mental Health Services
• Clinical Operations

Background:

• Telephone care management models are increasingly used for depression.
• Understanding care manager workload is crucial for effective implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To document time allocated to care management activities.
• To assess care manager workload capacity in depression care management.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional, descriptive analysis of depression care manager (DCM) activities and workload.
• Data collected from 2 collaborative depression care interventions at VA facilities.
• Tracked specific activities, time per activity, and patient panel size over 4 weeks.

Main Results:

• Initial assessment calls averaged 75-95 minutes; follow-up calls averaged 51-60 minutes.
• Ancillary activities (documentation, preparation, communication) consumed more time than direct patient contact.
• Unsuccessful call attempts averaged 9-11 minutes each.
• Maximum patient panel size ranged from 143-165 patients per quarter.

Conclusions:

• Consistent DCM time allocations and panel sizes were observed across studies and regions.
• Potential exists to reduce time spent on ancillary activities through improved informatics and support.