Source record
REACH VET outreach for veterans at highest statistical risk
The source is McCarthy and colleagues, Psychiatric Services, February 2023, a program evaluation of REACH VET in the Veterans Health Administration. The model runs monthly on patients seen in the prior two years, and policy expects outreach to the top 0.1% at each facility. By late 2020 nearly all identified veterans had been contacted and had care reviewed. After age and sex adjustment, the paper associated the program with a 5% lower probability of a documented suicide attempt, plus more outpatient contact and safety planning. That is a program association, not a prediction of an individual death.
- Source date
- Feb 1, 2023 · Year 2023
- Evidence label
- Published
- Source type
- Paper
Citation
McCarthy et al., Psychiatric Services
McCarthy et al. Program evaluation of REACH VET suicide-risk modeling and outreach in the Veterans Health Administration. Psychiatric Services, February 2023. https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ps.202100629
Key public facts
- REACH VET is a Veterans Health Administration program. A statistical model flags a very small top tier of risk each month.
- The model runs on patients seen in the prior two years. Policy expects outreach to the top 0.1% tier at each facility.
- A clinician who knows the patient reviews the chart and makes contact. Identification is not a diagnosis of suicidal intent.
- A program evaluation reported that by late 2020 nearly all identified veterans had been contacted and had care reviewed.
- After age and sex adjustment, the paper associated the program with a 5% lower probability of a documented suicide attempt, plus more outpatient contact and safety planning. It does not say the score predicts an individual death.
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