Optimize Your Campus Counseling Center: Strategies for Success

Navigating the complexities of modern counseling clinics on college campuses requires innovative solutions and a deep understanding of student needs.

In this interview, we delve into the insights of Medicat’s very own Customer Implementation Specialist, Joelle Koka, to uncover strategies for optimizing counseling clinic operations and enhancing student support.

1. How can a counseling clinic improve its intake process for new students?

A. To enhance the intake process, clinics can automate intake forms using the Medicat Patient Portal and allow self-scheduling of appointments, making services more accessible.

This change benefits students, who often prefer to schedule appointments online. It also reduces some administrative burden on staff members to create and manage new appointments manually.

Additionally, our Mobile Self Check-in (MSCI) feature enables students to complete assessment questionnaires on their phones in the waiting room, ensuring accurate and timely insights into their well-being.

This also reduces administrative burden and helps keep appointment time focused on care, rather than assessments or paperwork.

2. What are the most common ways you can help counseling clinics optimize their workflow?

A. One way I help counseling clinics optimize their workflow is by implementing standardized documentation through note templates and forms.

Using standardized documentation provides reportable data that provides valuable insights in decision-making and process improvement.

Note templates and forms also reduce decision fatigue and help documentation to be completed sooner.

Another way I help clinics optimize their workflow is by streamlining tasks.

We have many features in Medicat that can help decrease repetitive tasks such as adding transaction codes to your notes.

Using the Manage Default Codes function in your note types can post common transaction codes automatically to decrease searching and adding transaction codes to your note.

3. How can college counseling clinics enhance communication with students?

A. Utilizing our patient portal’s secure messaging, blaster, and notification tools can significantly enhance communication.

Automated messages for appointment confirmations, reminders, cancellations, and surveys, including notifications via text, ensure students stay informed and engaged.

It’s super easy to set these automations and templates up in the platform – it’s one of my favorite features to help clients set up!

4. What do you suggest clinics do to reduce no-shows and student wait times?

A. To reduce no-shows and student/client wait times, I suggest utilizing our notification tool for appointment reminders!

College students are busy, so having a tool to send reminders via secure message or text can have a dramatic effect on minimizing no-shows and late cancellations.

Additionally, using charting efficiency tools like auto-replace shortcuts and templates reduces time spent on documentation, ensuring students are seen in a timely manner. 

5. What strategies or tools can improve the success of outreach programs?

A. The new Outreach module in Medicat One helps manage and track outreach events.

By generating reportable data on attendance and event details, clinics can make informed decisions on which outreach events to continue or cut back on based on student interest and participation.

6. How can counseling centers collaborate with other campus departments to promote overall student wellness?

A. It’s becoming increasingly common to have integrated clinics on college campuses. Integrated clinics within college health encourages collaborative care, leading to improved student outcomes and a focus on patient-centered care.

Counseling centers can collaborate with other campus departments by educating staff and faculty on available services and empowering them to be mental health advocates.

7. How do you help counseling clinics effectively measure and report on impact?

A. First, I help clinics identify which data is most important to them. Then, we leverage our platform’s capabilities to track and analyze this data.

For instance, by utilizing transaction codes, clinics can gain insights into areas like call volume and identify potential service gaps.

Our team provides training on data customization and reporting to ensure clinics can effectively measure and communicate their impact.

Key Takeaways

By implementing these strategies and leveraging technology, counseling clinics can significantly enhance their services, improve student outcomes, and create a more supportive campus environment.

Medicat is committed to partnering with college counseling centers to achieve these goals.

If you’d like to see our Counseling EHR in action, take an interactive product tour whenever it’s most convenient for you!

Questions? Looking to get the conversation started? Get in touch with our team today.