Case Management in Tempe, AZ
The phone calls, the forms and the coordination that treatment generates and nobody warns you about. We do those, so that the energy you have goes to getting better instead of to admin.
Cost.Included with your treatment here. No separate charge.
Who it is for.Patients already in treatment here.
Accepting new patients.Yes, alongside therapy or medication.
What we actually do
Being in treatment creates work. Somebody wants records, somebody needs a letter, two providers need to talk to each other and neither has called. When you are already depleted, that work is often the thing that stalls treatment altogether.
It is also work that rewards persistence more than skill. A records request goes to a fax number nobody watches. A letter comes back because it went to the wrong department. The person who can authorize the thing is out until Thursday. None of it is difficult. It is repetitive, it has to happen during business hours, and it needs somebody willing to call a fourth time.
With your written permission, we do it:- Talking to your other providers so your care is coordinated, not duplicated
- Requesting records from a previous practice, and sending yours on if you move
- Letters and documentation for an employer, a school, a landlord or a housing application
- Referrals to services we do not provide, including ones outside this practice
- Chasing the follow-up that fell through: the appointment nobody booked, the form nobody sent back
Nothing leaves this practice without your written authorization. You decide what is shared, with whom, and for what purpose, and you can withdraw that permission at any time.
What you are actually signing
That permission is a release of information, and it is worth knowing what one is before you sign, because people treat it as a formality and it is not.
A release names four things: who we may speak to, what we may share with them, what for, and when the permission expires. It is narrow by design. A release that lets us request your records from a previous prescriber does not let us write to your employer. One written for your employer does not disclose a diagnosis unless you have specifically agreed that it can.
You can revoke it in writing at any time, and revoking it stops anything that has not already gone out. What it cannot do is pull back something already sent, which is the one limit worth understanding before you sign instead of after.
You are entitled to see what we intend to send before it goes. Ask, and you get a copy.
What it is not
This is not therapy, and it does not replace it. It is not emergency or crisis support, and it is not a substitute for a social worker assigned through a health plan or the state.
It is not advocacy in a legal sense either. We can put in writing what your clinician has observed and what your treatment here involves. We cannot argue your case at a hearing, certify a disability determination, or make a statement about anything that has not happened in this practice.
And it is not something we do for people who are not our patients. Case management runs alongside treatment here, because coordinating care requires knowing the care.
What it looks like in practice
1You mention it. At the end of a session, or in a message through the portal.
2It gets written down. What you want to happen, and who it involves.
3You sign a release. For that specific thing, not for everything.
4Somebody here makes the calls. You are told when it is done, and when it has stalled.
Who you will work with
Case management is coordinated by our Executive Director, who also handles intake, so the person you speak to first is the person making the calls.
Brandon Audia
Executive DirectorBrandon Audia is the Executive Director of PATH Health Services, where he leads the organization’s day-to-day operations and long-term growth. With a background in both psychology and business operations, Brandon is passionate about building a behavioral health organization that is accessible, organized, and centered around the people it serves. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Arizona State University’s Barrett, The Honors College, with bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Political Science. At PATH, Brandon focuses on creating an environment where patients feel welcomed and supported while ensuring the organization has the people, systems, and resources needed to provide high-quality care.
How to start
Tell your clinician. If you are not a patient yet, mention it on the intake call and we will build it into your plan from the start.
There is nothing separate to book. This happens between appointments, not inside them, so it does not use up session time and it does not have an appointment of its own.
Questions people ask
Is this included or extra?
Included. There is no separate charge, and it does not come out of your session time, because it happens between appointments rather than in them.
Do you need my permission to call my doctor?
Yes, in writing, and for that specific purpose. We tell you what we intend to share before we share it, and you can ask for a copy of it.
Can you write a letter for my employer?
Often, yes, and what it can say is entirely up to you. A letter can confirm that you are in treatment here and that appointments need time during the working day without naming a condition at all, if that is what you want it to do.
How long does something like this take?
Most of the wait is on the other end, so it varies. What you will not have to do is chase us for a status — you are told when it is done and told when it has stalled.
Can you help me find a service you do not offer?
Yes. Pointing you somewhere better is part of the job.
Is this the same as a health plan case manager?
No. Theirs works for the plan. Ours works for you, inside your treatment here.
Someone else can make the phone calls.
Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm · Saturday, 9am to 2pm
