Suicide Risk Assessment Solution Launched in 11 Montana Hospitals
Critical access hospitals in Montana are now able to screen every adult patient entering their emergency departments with a single standardized assessment.
This assessment demonstrates high user satisfaction and has been shown to replicate the decision-making of an expert psychiatrist.
Billings Clinic has launched Voi Detect’s exclusive, validated, near-term suicide risk assessment solution in its 11 affiliated hospital emergency departments across Montana. This first-of-its-kind deployment of imminent suicide risk screening is supported by a $107,000 state grant, announced by Governor Steve Bullock in February.
Voi Detect is a product of behavioral healthcare technology company Voi. It is HIPAA-compliant and features the only validated suicide risk assessment designed to detect near-term risk (within 72 hours) in no more than two minutes.
This assessment demonstrates high user satisfaction and has been shown to replicate the decision-making of an expert psychiatrist.
Using machine-learning and its unique scoring algorithm, Voi Detect is able to improve predictive capabilities over time when integrated with the electronic health record of a hospital.
Critical access hospitals in Montana are now able to screen every adult patient entering their emergency departments with a single standardized assessment.
This broad use of Voi Detect follows Billings Clinic’ successful pilot program in 2016, which found that of those screened in the ED:
- 85% of patients were screened as low risk for suicide
- 11% of patients were identified as medium risk
- 4% of patients were detected as high risk
Approximately 20 percent of the entire sample group came to the ED with a primary psychiatric complaint. However, 50 percent of the patients who were assessed as high-risk did not come in with a primary psychiatric complaint.
Without Voi Detect, these patients would not have been identified as being at imminent risk, and would not have received the care they needed.
Voi Detect is expected to be a key tool for identifying and helping those at imminent risk for suicide in Montana, which currently has the highest suicide rates in the country.
The solution is being deployed in:
- Stillwater Billings Clinic
- Beartooth Billings Clinic
- Central Montana Medical Center
- Colstrip Medical Center
- Daniels Memorial Healthcare Center
- Glendive Medical Center, Inc.
- Livingston Healthcare
- Pioneer Medical Center
- Roundup Memorial Hospital Association
- Sheridan Memorial Hospital Association
- Wheatland Memorial Healthcare
“We’re excited to bring our technology to Montana,” says Voi CEO McKay Thomas. “Voi Detect has the potential to save the lives of many who would likely have gone undetected and untreated.”
Voi also offers Voi Reach, which leverages the power of trusted relationships in a single mobile application to provide unparalleled support and educational resources for those in need. Individuals select their own support team, while Voi Reach supplies continuous risk monitoring and crisis intervention through predictive data analytics.
About Voi
Voi is a healthcare technology company delivering empirically-validated solutions that address the needs of those at risk for suicide and other behavioral health issues, as well as those who care for them. The Voi platform offers a suite of tools that combine science, technology, collaboration, and compassion to identify and aid at-risk individuals.
Voi can help hospitals, health systems, public agencies, and higher education institutions solve many of their complex challenges: keeping people alive and well, managing risks, creating standards, documenting and implementing best practices, lowering costs, and generating revenue.
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About the Author
Katie Malafronte, Web Editor
Katie Malafronte is Campus Safety's Web Editor. She graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 2017 with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication Studies and a minor in Writing & Rhetoric. Katie has been CS's Web Editor since 2018.
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