With the change to functional standards in late 1997, the department reorganized its committee structure and performance improvement plan. The result is more rigorous collection and analysis of data, comprehensive patient satisfaction processes, new policies and procedures, and an updated strategic plan with documented progress reports. The department officially entered the world of managed care in 1996 with the development of a point of service student health plan which complements services available at the health center. This resulted in increased insurance benefits for students, greater access to care, an alternative revenue source for the department, and a new administrative infrastructure, including a complex information management system. The merger of Counseling and Learning Needs under the Department of Student Health in July 1996 resulted in a new paradigm for provision of psychological services for students.
Staff now function more effectively and students access care through one point of entry.
Services are comprehensive, centralized, and standardized. The merger has also resulted in a more sound funding base for psychological services through the use of the health fee. To accommodate the expansion of services, the University is supporting a major addition and renovation project for the department. Renovations are being done in the existing space to expand and improve pharmacy services, increase clinic space in gynecology, move physician offices to the main floor, add meeting room space, and consolidate administrative functions.