Incidental Medical Services (IMS) is a crucial wing of health care services specifically for treating substance abuse disorders. It is not a primary health care service. It is a supplementary service program. This supplementary service includes monitoring the patient’s progress, food and medication, closely reading the patient’s medical history and helping with Detoxification. This facility should be licensed under the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS).
Benefits of Incidental Medical Services
- Monitors Patient’s health status: Detoxification and sobriety is a gradual process. Detoxification does not mean long-term sobriety. Individuals require help and assistance even after detoxification. In extreme cases, patients need constant monitoring to prevent delirium or heart ailments. In these cases, IMS acts as beneficial support helping the individuals by regulating and monitoring their health status consistently. They will provide customized and effective services for detoxification.
- Examining Medical Histories: Every individual has a different medical history and comorbidity with other illnesses. Sometimes addicts can also have heart ailments, diabetes, Blood pressure, weak lungs, and others. Each case is to be treated differently. Hence, IMS closely checks on every individual as per his/her need. The medical history examination will benefit the patient’s healthy and optimum recovery. It can also prevent any criticalities in medical conditions.
- Overseeing Patient’s Medications: Addicts who are undergoing detox have high chances of relapses. Medications administered for withdrawal such as Benzos can sometimes transform into an addiction when consumed beyond the prescribed quantity. Prescription painkillers are a major threat to Recovery and Detoxification as per statistics. Thus, IMS specializes in monitoring the patients closely with their medications and helping them in long-term sobriety.
- Treats Substance Abuse Disorder and Detoxification: Substance abuse disorder creates a significant dependence. Detoxification is challenging when the abuse has been for a long period. But IMS has specialists who will closely monitor and support the patients on their road to recovery through counseling sessions, talk therapy, and other amenities.
- Offer recovery services for sobriety: IMS is not authorized to prescribe medications. But they are skilled at providing supplementary services such as counseling, art therapy, and the like. These sessions can work wonders in boosting the patient’s morale and preventing relapse.
Why is IMS important?
IMS is important to support the patient with supplementary services such as counseling, talk therapy, art therapy, and other activities which can support the individual on their journey through detoxification and Long-term Sobriety. Detoxification is not the ultimate step to sobriety. The real challenge begins only after the detox. The chances of relapse are larger in these times. IMS plays a great role in preventing relapse and supporting long-term sobriety.
What are the core areas of IMS?
The core areas include individual’s aftercare including, medication-monitoring, enhancing motivation, and supporting at the time of vulnerability to prevent relapses.
IMS at YandY
Y&Y has licenses obtained from DHCS to set up IMS facilities. They have skilled practitioners who aim to help the patient with complete recovery and long-term sobriety with a keen focus on strengthening their mental health. If you or your dear one is suffering from SAD, connect with Y&Y for any assistance with IMS.