- November 14, 2012
- Jennifer Salerno
The Medical Associates Clinic, P.C., is a multi-specialty medical practice delivering primary and specialty health care to residents of the tri-state area in Dubuque, Iowa.
Medical Associates has used the online Rapid Assessment for Adolescent Preventive Services (RAAPS) for several years to screen adolescents ages 12 – 18. RAAPS is given annually to teens receiving physical or gyn exams and to youth for whom providers have mental health concerns. Meyer initiated use of RAAPS at Medical Associates because of a need to address risky behaviors that often went undiagnosed and unknown. Since starting to use RAAPS, Meyer said many teens have commented that she discovered a lot about them — including information they often don’t share when they are “just talked to.”
“RAAPS works well because the kids are very honest with the computer system,” Meyer said. “Kids were not as honest on paper, and many parents would be looking over their shoulders as they were completing it,” she said of the manual tool she used to use.
The former assessment also required her to tally results by hand, whereas RAAPS produces time-saving, highly accessible electronic reports. “This was a wonderful improvement. It is much more efficient and much more effective,” she said.
Meyer said the biggest value in RAAPS is that “We can now better help the kids by identifying their risky behaviors and providing counseling. At the end of the day, isn’t that what it’s all about? Kids have been relieved that we are asking about risky behaviors and they have the opportunity to get their concerns addressed.”
“RAAPS is now a ‘must have’ for us,” Meyer said. “RAAPS is a great value and we have derived more benefit than what we paid for it.”
Read more about Medical Associates and how they put RAAPS into practice by viewing their case study.
Contact us today with questions about how to effectively integrate RAAPS into your practice!