Treatment Process

• Referral

Attorneys and doctors within the Company’s extensive network refer patients to Bridge Medical.

• Evaluation

Patients enter the program through a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment.

• Review

Following the evaluation, a comprehensive written report, together with statistical scoring, is provided to the patient and referring physician or attorney.

• Treatment Plan

If cognitive or psychological treatment is recommended, Bridge Medical will develop a personalized treatment program for the patient based upon his or her unique strengths and weaknesses.

• Treatment

One course of cognitive treatment is typically composed of four to six hours of weekly therapy, across a span of six to twelve months. Psychotherapy, if needed, can be administered weekly, bi-weekly or monthly.

• Progress

Cognitive rehabilitation assistants record each patient’s daily progress. Psychologists on staff also regularly assess patients and closely oversee all ongoing treatments.

• Re-Evaluation

Following the first course of treatment, after approximately six months, Bridge Medical conducts a re-evaluation to assess the patient’s language and cognitive improvements. It is common for Bridge Medical to recommend a brief course of treatment that lasts less than one to three months to treat residual deficits.

• Professional Assistance

Bridge Medical’s staff assists the patients on school/job-related tasks as-needed, and helps the patients with not only the cognitive retraining course, but also the demands of daily life. Bridge Medical’s goal is to restore patients to the highest level of function possible.

• Legal Resources

Finally, Bridge Medical works closely with patients’ attorneys to facilitate the resolution of legal and insurance matters throughout the treatment process.

Primary Treatments and Services

Neuropsychology Testing

• Intelligence

• Attention

• Executive Functioning

• Working Memory

• Speed of Processing

• Learning and Memory

• Visual Special Skills

• Fine Motor Skills

Using the assessment results, Bridge Medical provides a report to the referring physician that includes a cognitive profile, detailed recommendations, objective information about the patient’s functioning, and any cognitive training recommended to improve functioning. Bridge Medical also offers neuropsychological re-evaluation, which effectively measures improvement associated with the cognitive treatment and determines if further treatment is warranted.

Cognitive Rehabilitation

Bridge Medical’s approach to cognitive rehabilitation is restorative in nature. Based upon an analysis of the functions assessed through the neuropsychological evaluation, Bridge Medical makes a determination as to the cognitive strengths and weaknesses presented by the patient and designs a program of intervention or treatment plan. Cognitive rehabilitation is based on the principle of neuroplasticity, meaning that the human brain is not a static organ but capable of physical change. These changes can occur through neural pathways and synapses after exposure to enriched environments. Cognitive remediation provides such an enriched environment.

Bridge Medical offers cognitive treatment that consists of exercises through the use of computer software based on a number of theoretical models of cognitive functions, such as attention, memory and executive function. The parameters usually monitored in the cognitive rehabilitation interventions used at Bridge Medical include reaction time, level of exercise difficulty, average number of correct responses, and average number of incorrect responses, among others. The proportion of successes in any session is closely monitored by our trained therapists. The overall purpose is to restore, reinforce, compensate and teach compensatory strategies in order to reach optimal cognitive improvement.

Primary Treatments and Services (Cont.)

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy, otherwise known as talk therapy, is a method of mental health treatment aimed at helping people with a variety of psychiatric disorders and stressors. Therapy can help reduce suffering, provide a different method of conceptualizing difficult situations, improve problem-solving skills, help individuals achieve their respective goals, and increase overall quality of life. Furthermore, according to the National Institutes of Health, there is growing evidence showing the relationship and importance of understanding the mind-body connection. In other words, understanding the bidirectional relationship between human thought, feeling, behavior, and physical wellbeing.

At Bridge Medical, each mental health professional collaborates with patients to carefully devise a treatment plan using a variety of evidence-based psychotherapies in accordance with his or her training and expertise. Evidence-based therapy uses psychological techniques based on empirical scientific research. Traditionally, evidence-based psychotherapy is structured, goal-oriented, and present-focused. It has been shown as an effective treatment for a variety of comorbid psychiatric and medical conditions. The focus of treatment varies depending on each individual’s presenting concerns and can be provided in an individual and/or group format as needed.

Individual Psychotherapy

Individual Psychotherapy is a collaborative process between a trained mental health professional and patient in psychotherapy with a focus on improving his or her subjective emotional wellbeing, stress management, and coping strategies. Individuals seek therapy for a variety of reasons, such as to process major life stressors/adjustments or to increase self-knowledge and growth. At Bridge Medical, our providers’ work with patients on a one-to-one basis in a safe and confidential environment to explore stressors, set goals, and provide each patient with the tools to increase their autonomy and overall emotional well being.

Group Psychotherapy

Group Psychotherapy is a form of therapy that involves one or more therapists working with a group of patients to discuss common problems and challenges. Group therapy provides a platform to help individuals with emotional difficulties through interactive and constructive feedback, a supportive environment of peers with similar experiences, and reduce feelings of loneliness and social isolation. As each patient has a unique approach to learning, our team provides therapy material in various formats (e.g. paper, smart-phone application, audio/video presentation etc).

Psychotherapy for TBI/Concussion

Bridge Medical provides psychotherapy for a number of patients diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury and/or concussion.Often times, post brain injury, many patients commonly experience difficulties controlling emotions (“mood swings”) for a variety of reasons, personality changes, and/or challenges adjusting to significant changes in relationships and responsibilities. As a result, patients may experience depression, anxiety, anger, and a general sense of loss. Far too often, coping with a brain injury and/or mental illness is often categorized under the umbrella of being diagnosed with an invisible illness; however, as providers, Bridge Medical is determined to educate, advocate for, and empower each patient to maximize their recovery.

Additional Treatments and Services

Bridge Medical provides additional rehabilitation and support services that are tailored to each patient’s needs, including:

Speech/Language Therapy

Speech/language therapy is offered to patients with disorders of speech, comprehension, reading, and writing. For patients with aphasia, word-finding difficulty, and other related difficulties, the Company’s staff teaches strategies for word-production, word-finding, initiation, grammar, and pragmatics

Life Coaching, Vocational and Community Re-Entry

Life Coaching, Vocational and community re-entry services aid patients to generalize learned skills to practical areas of living. Therapists help patients to build up daily living skills to levels as close as possible to pre-incident levels. In the case of developmental difficulties, the goal is to maximize the child or adult’s potential. Areas that may be addressed include cooking and home safety, entertainment, laundry, banking, budgeting, shopping, and household chores. The Company also assists with writing resumes, developing work-study programs, educational course audits, and volunteer work. For those able to continue working, therapists can maintain contact with employers and colleagues to monitor skills for additional treatment.

Learning Disabilities Program

Bridge Medical provides services to children and adults with a learning disability and/or attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The Company can interface with teachers, families, or employers to ensure integration of learned skills into everyday life. The Company also provides neurological and psychiatric management, including pharmacological therapy when indicated.

Bridge Medical’s multilingual treatment is exceptionally positioned to service patients across a wide range of languages. It offers its initial evaluation in English, Hebrew, Russian, and Spanish. If another language is needed for the evaluation, Bridge Medical provides a translator through the process. Moreover, nearly every single employee is bilingual, allowing Bridge Medical to work closely with patients. Management estimates that its patients speak up to ten different languages. In order to accommodate a culturally diverse client-base, Bridge Medical employs staff that speaks Albanian, Cantonese, Hindi, Japanese, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, and Serbo-Croatian.

Bridge Medical, in January of 2020, has added Psychiatric services to its clinical service offering.