The Texas Child Psychiatry Access Network (CPAN) is a network of 12 regional hubs seated in academic health-related institutions (HRIs) across Texas that assist primary care and pediatric providers in supporting the mental health needs of children and adolescents under age 23.

Our services include:

• Provider-to-provider consultations with child psychiatrists on differential diagnosis, and medication recommendations and management assistance.
• Experienced behavioral health therapist assistance for needs such as identifying appropriate therapies, behavioral health and safety planning, and validated mental health referrals and resources personalized to the needs of the patient.
• A toolbox of screening tools covering a wide range of mental health concerns (e.g., depression, anxiety, non-suicidal self-injury, etc.).
• Support for clinics who would like more information on developing a practice crisis intervention plan.

Think of CPAN as a “curbside consult” with a child psychiatrist and an extra referral coordinator all wrapped up into one simple phone call. All services are funded through the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium (TCMHCC) and are provided at no cost to the provider, clinic, family, or health plan.

The CPAN team at The University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center includes two child and adolescent psychiatrists, a licensed professional counselor, a behavioral health liaison, and a public health nurse. This team of professionals support the 25-county Northeast Texas region.

 

Provider-to-Provider Consultation Expectations

When calling for an initial consultation (texting available for enrolled providers), one of our behavioral health specialists will answer the call. A few basic pieces of information will be gathered to ensure providers are given the appropriate assistance by our team. If the call requires a consultation with a child and adolescent psychiatrist, the provider may request a return call right away or schedule it for a later time. Calls requested ASAP will be returned within 30 minutes. Services such as mental health referrals and resources, safety planning, behavioral health plans, mental health screening tools and community resources will be handled by one of our behavioral health specialists. Primary care providers may call the CPAN hotline at 888-901-CPAN (2726), choose option 1, then option 3, to request a consult with the CPAN – Northeast Texas team. If not yet registered with CPAN, this process only takes about 5 minutes and can be completed over the phone.

The provider-to-provider psychiatric consultation is a brief discussion on treatment options or diagnostic clarification, including medication management, non-pharmacologic interventions, or diagnostic tools and/or therapy (including specific therapeutic modalities).

• If diagnosis related, questions will be asked to clarify or help establish a working diagnosis. Additional assessment tools may be suggested to help with diagnostic clarification.
• If medication related, calls may include discussion on mechanism of action, time of onset, side effects, and dosing (increases, decreases, cross-tapers).

Although calls for consults, referrals, or resources are unlimited for enrolled providers, CPAN is not an emergency line. Call 988 during a mental health crisis.

 

Preparing for a Consult

Providers should have basic patient information available when calling, including the patient’s name or initials, date of birth, medical record number, zip code, race/ethnicity, and gender. We also ask for the patient’s insurance information (if applicable) in case we need to conduct research for referrals/resources. Additionally, consider the following questions, as the child psychiatrist may ask them when assessing the patient’s specific situation:

Safety: Are there concerns about the patient’s safety?

Specific Behaviors: What behaviors are causing complaints?

Setting: Where are the behaviors occurring? At school? At home? Both?

Stressors: Are there specific stresses at home? Divorce? A loss? Housing or food insecurity?

Services: What services have been tried up until now?

 

One-Time, Patient-to-Psychiatrist Direct Consultations

CPAN psychiatrists can also recommend and provide free, one-time only patient consultations when indicated.

 

How it Works

• Enrolled providers may call or text CPAN to request a provider-to-provider consultation about the patient.
• During the call, the CPAN child psychiatrist will determine if a 1:1 consult would benefit the child and their family.
• The child psychiatrist will discuss their reasoning for the 1:1 consultation with the provider along with next steps needed to prepare for the appointment.
• Requirements include:
  • The pediatric health clinician remains the primary health provider.
  • The child is not experiencing a mental health emergency (threatening harm to self or others).
  • The child’s parent/legal guardian gives written consent to the CPAN psychiatrist and agrees to be present during the 1:1 consultation.
• The CPAN team will coordinate a one-time virtual visit with the child and their parent/legal guardian within 10-14 business days from the time written consent has been received from the child’s parent/legal guardian. (This time frame may vary depending on how soon written consent is received by the CPAN team.)
• All patient-to-psychiatrist direct consultation appointments will be performed via video. If the patient does not have access to the Internet or Wi-Fi at home, the CPAN team can work with the provider to coordinate the use of an exam room, conference room, or other private space at their clinic to conduct the consultation.
• After the direct consult has been completed, the CPAN team will provide the referring provider with:
  • Clarification on the presenting mental health issue.
  • Diagnosis of a specific mental illness (if applicable).
  • Treatment options.
  • Applicable psychosocial and educational resources/recommendations.
• The child psychiatrist’s recommendations will be shared in writing with the provider, and they will also follow up with a phone consultation. Once completed, the provider may share the full information with the family to discuss next steps in care.

  

Texting for CPAN Services

All CPAN enrolled providers can use CPAN texting. The CPAN team will call back to complete the consultation or collect information for resources and referrals. Our goal is to respond to the text within 5 minutes.

Texting initiates a CPAN consult, whether the request is for resources, referrals, or provider-to-provider consultation. No protected health information (PHI) will be sent via text. CPAN will call the provider at a convenient and preset time to collect more patient information to complete the request if needed.

Although our texting service is unlimited for enrolled providers, CPAN is not an emergency line. Call 988 during a mental health crisis.

 

Service Area

The CPAN team at The University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center serves the following 25 counties in Northeast Texas:

Business Hours  

The CPAN – Northeast Texas office is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., excluding institutional holidays.

If you have questions about the CPAN program or would like to enroll or schedule a virtual or in-person presentation, call 888-901-CPAN (2726), choose option 1, then option 3, or email .