Every summer, we ask community providers who’ve consulted the PCL over the past year to share their feedback and improvement ideas through an anonymous survey. In 2026, we received survey responses from providers in 22 counties across Washington. Thank you all for your time and thoughtful feedback.
Of those who responded to the survey,
- 100% were satisfied or very satisfied with the time it took to connect to the PCL psychiatrist
- 99% were satisfied or very satisfied with the recommendations they received
- 98% said they would use the PCL again and would recommend the service to their colleagues
- 97% indicated the consultation helped them care for a specific patient
- 94% said the consult would help in the care of future patients
PCL Improvement Ideas
Can PCL consult notes be uploaded to Epic?
- Since we no longer collect patient identifiers like name and date of birth, this is not possible.
It would be great if the PCL shared treatment algorithms or simple handouts as part of consultations.
- PCL psychiatrists routinely share standardized scales and screeners with callers, and most of these tools are also posted on the PCL website Resources page except for those that require a clinical review with the psychiatrist. Also, we are only able to share screeners that do not have copyright protection. We do not maintain patient-facing materials because these would be very challenging and resource intensive to develop and maintain for the entire state. Our partners at ScalaNW have a robust library of patient care algorithms regarding medications for substance use conditions.
Can I consult with the same psychiatrist when calling back on the same patient?
- Given the number of psychiatrists who cover the PCL, we can’t guarantee the same psychiatrist is available for repeat consultations. However, several years ago the PCL database was improved to automatically retrieve previous notes to allow the psychiatrist on duty an opportunity to review earlier recommendations, thus creating more care continuity.
Can the PCL offer psychotherapy supervision?
- Unfortunately, even though many of the PCL psychiatrists have training and experience in psychotherapy, this is not something the PCL can offer on a consistent basis as not all our psychiatrists have experience with all the various types of therapy. Thus, our website notes this in our FAQs and in-scope/out-of-scope content.
It would be helpful to provide info for complex patients on establishing with a long-term psychiatrist.
- We have a similar guide for our department’s Family and Caregiver Support and Training (FACTS) Program. Click here to access the “Choosing a mental health provider” page of the FACTS website. A reminder that nearly half of Washington’s counties do not have a practicing psychiatrist but telehealth has helped improve access for some patients. It can also be challenging to find providers who accept Medicare.