Does your client know what to expect in therapy?

It is the first session with your new client.

After some discussion around the presenting problem you ask, “What changes would you like to accomplish in therapy?”

The client envisions what life would be like without the weight of this issue. Together you develop a simple, yet impactful treatment plan that both you and your client feel would yield reachable and beneficial results.

In its simplest form, this is a collaborative approach to treatment planning, and it probably occurs within the first two sessions of therapy.

• A sense of ownership. The client is more engaged in achieving goals they helped create.
• An understanding of expectations. The client has clarity on their role during therapy.
• Realistic goals. With your guidance, a client will set meaningful and achievable goals.

• 91% of employer plan member records reviewed in 2022 contained an individualized and strengths-based treatment plan. This is an impressive achievement by you – our Magellan network providers.
• 97% of those treatment plans included measurable goals and objectives.

The 2022 results showed that 48% of records included a projected timeframe for achievement of treatment goals, and 43% of records reflected that the client expressed an understanding of their treatment plan. Your involvement can help increase this rate to the target goal of 70% in 2023!

It is likely you are already discussing treatment goals and tentative timeframes for meeting those goals with your clients. Magellan looks for documentation of the good work you are doing with our members in these areas, whether in the treatment plan itself or in a progress note referring to these discussions.

To assist you in capturing your thorough work, you have access to a treatment plan template (PDF) on Magellan’s provider website. You can incorporate this into your documentation. The template includes estimated timeframes for goals, along with a place for the client to attest and sign, expressing their understanding of treatment goals.

If you have any questions about treatment planning with your Magellan clients, contact Trent Thornton, quality clinical reviewer, at 1-800-999-9772, ext. 72702 or ThorntonT@MagellanHealth.com.