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ACES Are High: Transforming Systems of Care from Within
The concept of system transformation in behavioral health is one that has garnered much attention in recent years. In New York State, this often refers to the evolving iterations of Medicaid managed care and value-based payment. This transformation is focused on the “triple aim” of better care,...
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The Behavioral Health Community Today: Change, Challenge and Opportunity
Over the last several years, the community behavioral health landscape has changed. New York State is driving reforms toward achieving the Triple Aim for better care and improved health at lower costs. In doing so, the community-based behavioral health sector has been charged with undergoing...
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The Promise and Peril of Performance Measurement
Few would dispute the assertion that our behavioral healthcare system and the many institutions on which it depends are in a state of transformation, if not upheaval. This transformation is characterized by many overarching themes and trends, most of which aim to enhance the quality of care...
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Responding to the Mental Health Needs of the Aging
Aging is an inevitable part of life. As we get older, we often think of physical problems such an aching back or pain in our knees. But the elderly also have considerable mental health needs, as well. Here at the Office of Mental Health (OMH), we’ve been looking at innovative interventions to...
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Substance Use Disorder Measures and Preparing for Value-Based Purchasing
In a previous column, I wrote about the measures for value-based purchasing being developed together with the New York State Department of Health and the Center on Addictions, our partner on many projects. Our work to develop clear measures has set the foundation for insurance plans, providers and...
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The East New York Health Hub: Realizing the Promise of Whole Health
Over the last few decades, there has been an increasing focus on health care reform and bending the cost curve through a combination of new approaches including social determinants of health, trauma-informed treatment, health equity, patient engagement and integrated care. While these elements have...
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Ongoing Transformations at The MHA of Westchester
The Mental Health Association of Westchester (MHA) continues to actively transform the delivery of our expansive array of services, increasingly moving from a conceptual commitment to provide holistic services to operationalizing a unified fabric of existing and newly created services....
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Turn and Face the Change: Children’s Medicaid Redesign
Change is inevitable. Change has and will always be a part of life, but it seems that the last couple of decades have brought about an unprecedented rate and scale of change in our society. Technology, of course, can be identified as a driving factor and has radically transformed every aspect of...
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System Transformation: What Does the Future Hold?
We know that the mind and body are inseparable, so it’s no surprise that the evolution of behavioral health services will continue to be a story of convergence and consolidation, increasingly informed by science, financed by investments intentionally calibrated to drive progress, and guided by...
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Treatment Works! The Recipe to Recovery and Storytelling as Medicine
When I was training to be a child psychiatrist many years ago, I had a mentor who was one of the most well-known and beloved child psychiatrists in Illinois: Jay Hirsch, MD. Jay had many sayings, quotes, and “clinical pearls” he taught all of us and I continue to use today. One of my favorites...
