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Building an Integrated Healthcare System: Blending Public Health and Prevention Models
The very first time I ever thought about physical and behavioral healthcare together was when I heard of a psychiatrist who wanted to do complete blood chemistry before prescribing medication to new patients within a mental health clinic, a unique situation some 20 years ago. Clearly, this...
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Integrated Care Models in Managed Behavioral Healthcare Organizations
The Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness (ABHW) represents specialty behavioral health and wellness companies that provide services to treat mental health, substance use, and other behaviors that impact health. ABHW members have long histories with integrating behavioral health care and a...
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Integrated Care Supports a Whole-Person Approach to Improved Health Outcomes
About one in six adults will experience a mental health illness and medical condition within a year ― and among those receiving Medicaid, the percentage is likely higher.1 Since medical and behavioral health conditions tend to overlap, research shows that the most effective way to treat this...
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Opportunities for Improved Services with Integrated Care
The key component of integrated care – coordination of primary and behavioral health services in a way that is accessible from one place – is not a new concept for many substance abuse treatment organizations, such as Odyssey House in New York City, that operate Article 28 licensed medical and...
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Super Storm Sandy is Over but the Problems Are Not: A Creative Community-Based Integrated Health Care Initiative
The Staten Island Mental Health Society, Inc. (SIMHS as lead agency) and Community Health Action of Staten Island (CHASI) partnered, in April 2014, to form a Mobile Integrated Health Team (MIHT) to provide in-home health and mental health services to Staten Island residents still suffering the...
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Substance Use and Mental Health Services at a Crossroads
Behavioral health services must be strengthened to meet community needs. All too often, people with substance use and mental health disorders do not get the help they need. Behavioral health services are not available on-demand across New York State. A comprehensive continuum of prevention,...
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Integration on a Continuum: Models for Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Health Care
In the recent years of Medicaid Redesign in New York State, community-based mental health agencies who serve persons with serious and complex psychiatric conditions have addressed the evolving transformation of health care in a variety of ways. Much of the response has been reactive, with agencies...
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A New Approach to Service Integration and Variation on a Proven Theme
Policy developments within federal, state and local governments are compelling providers to pursue the “Triple Aim” of healthcare reform and to continually reevaluate their systems and services to this end. Notwithstanding the complexities of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Delivery System...
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Integrated Care at Last?
This issue of Behavioral Health News is devoted to current efforts to integrate care for people with behavioral health conditions. So many complex mechanisms are being created that I get lost in the maze of confusing names and acronyms. “Health home”, “medical home”, “HARP”,...
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A New Model for Integration of Care: The Ambulatory ICU
Patient Centered Medical Homes (PCMH) are built upon access, communication, continuity and ongoing performance improvement. Health Homes have been most successful in engaging marginalized difficult patients with little primary care utilization but falter when successful treatment requires care by...
