Treat First Home

Treat First – New Mexico

The “Treat First” model of care is an innovative approach to clinical practice improvement. The organizing principle is to ensure a timely and effective response to a person’s needs as a first priority.  It is structured as a way to achieve the immediate formation of a therapeutic relationship while gathering needed historical, assessment, and treatment planning information over the course of a small number of therapeutic encounters. One of the primary goals has been to decrease the number of members that are “no shows” for the next scheduled appointment because their need was not met upon initial intake.

The New Mexico State Behavioral Health Services Division requires the ability to capture client registration, visit, follow-up, and notes in nmstar for the Treat First program. Ensuring timely and effective responses to a person's needs is the first priority in this approach.