Wyoming Partnership Access Line

What is the Partnership Access Line?

The Wyoming Partnership Access Line (PAL) supports community clinicians (doctors, nurse practitioners, therapists, social workers) with questions about mental health care such as diagnostic clarification, medication adjustment or treatment planning.

PAL also has a master’s-level social worker available to assist with finding mental health resources for your patients.

The PAL program is funded by the Wyoming Department of Health and is available to providers caring for any patient in Wyoming, regardless of insurance type. The phone consultation is covered by HIPAA, section 45 CFR 164.506; no additional release of patient information is required to consult by phone.

Contact

Call 877-501-7257 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mountain Time, to be directly connected to a PAL child and adolescent psychiatrist.

MDT Psychiatric Evaluations (“Washington Evaluations”)

Multidisciplinary team (MDT) psychiatric evaluations are available to children involved with Wyoming’s Department of Family Services (DFS) and community clinicians working with WYhealth. This evaluation can be used to inform the patient’s care team of a broad range of treatment planning issues, including level of care, diagnosis, medication strategies and appropriate psychosocial supports. It can also serve as the physician order for admission to a psychiatric residential treatment facility (PRTF).

To request an evaluation:

  1. Complete the MDT referral form (online submission).
  2. Complete and sign the applicable consent forms:
  3. Records are not required at the time of referral submission. Specific records will be discussed in a follow-up call with the program social worker.

Call 206-987-7932 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mountain time with any questions.

Consultations for Developmentally Delayed (DD) Adult Patients

PAL consultations for patients on the DD waiver should be initiated directly by the ECC via fax. For non ECC related requests, providers of DD patients may call directly into the WY PAL line to speak with a psychiatrist.

Call 877-501-7257 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mountain time.

Medication Review Program

Second-opinion medication reviews are requested from the state when psychiatric medication is prescribed outside of state guidelines, with the most updated review list always available at http://wymedicaid.org/pdl. In brief, a review may be triggered for:

  • Children receiving 2 or more atypical antipsychotics (AAPs)
  • Children age 4 or younger receiving psychotropic medications
  • Children receiving 5 or more psychotropic medications
  • High doses

It is important to note that Seattle Children’s Hospital psychiatrists are one step in the state-mandated medication review process. We do not set state guidelines or flag specific medications, but we do believe in the value of peer review and provider-to-provider collaboration.

Please contact us if you have questions at 206-987-2702 or by email.

Provider Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Can families call the PAL line?

    No. The PAL line is designed to be a consult service for community clinicians only (doctors, nurse practitioners, therapists, social workers). Consulting with families directly is outside the scope of our service, and families will be redirected to their care team for assistance.

  • Do I need to get my patient’s consent before calling PAL?

    No, you do not need patient authorization or consent to call PAL. This is due to the following:

    • No bill or payment is collected for a PAL call. Therefore, no financial consent is needed.
    • Provider-to-provider consultation is covered within the boundaries of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
  • Is it appropriate to call PAL when my patient is in crisis?

    If your patient is currently in crisis, call 911. If your patient is not in imminent danger, our PAL consultants are available to discuss best practices for treatment and support.

  • Can the PAL line help get my patient admitted to Seattle Children’s?

    PAL cannot expedite or change the admitting process for Seattle Children’s Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Program, despite our affiliation with the hospital. 

  • Who can request an MDT?

    MDT evaluations may be requested by Wyoming’s DFS case workers and community clinicians working with WY Health. To contact a behavioral health advocate at WY Health Optum, please call 855-690-0364.

  • Is the child required to be present for the MDT evaluation?

    Yes, the psychiatrist needs to interact with the patient to get a better sense of their needs. 

  • Why must the child be in Wyoming if this is a telemedicine evaluation?

    Our psychiatrists are not licensed to practice in states other than Wyoming and Washington.

  • When will the final report on the MDT evaluation be ready?

    Generally, the report will be sent via secure email within 5 business days of the evaluation.

  • Where do you provide telemedicine appointments?

    See a list of all Wyoming Public Health offices.

    • Afton Department of Family Services
    • Buffalo Department of Family Services
    • Casper Department of Family Services
    • Casper Juvenile Detention Center
    • Catholic Charities of Wyoming
    • Cheyenne Department of Family Services (East Pershing)
    • Cody Department of Family Services
    • Douglas Department of Family Services
    • Evanston Department of Family Services
    • Gillette Department of Family Services
    • Jackson Department of Family Services
    • Lander Department of Family Services
    • Laramie County Detention Center
    • Laramie Department of Family Services
    • Normative Services
    • Park County Detention Center
    • Rawlins Department of Family Services
    • Riverton Department of Family Services
    • Rock Springs Department of Family Services
    • Sweetwater County Detention Center
    • Sheridan Department of Family Services
    • Specialty Counseling and Consulting
    • Thermopolis Department of Family Services
    • Wheatland Department of Family Services
    • Worland Department of Family Services
    • Wyoming Behavioral Institute
    • Wyoming Boys' School
    • Wyoming Girls' School
  • For which holidays will PAL be closed?

    PAL will be closed the following days in 2023:

    • New Year's Day - Observed Date Monday, January 2
    • Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Monday, January 16
    • Presidents' Day - Monday, February 20
    • Memorial Day - Monday, May 29
    • Juneteenth - Monday, June 19
    • Independence Day - Tuesday, July 4
    • Labor Day - Monday, September 4
    • Veterans' Day - Friday, November 10
    • Thanksgiving - Thursday, November 23
    • Christmas Day - Monday, December 25