Tag Archives: community behavioral health

Integration of Behavioral Health and Primary Care: Preparing for Service Delivery

When your behavioral health and primary care integration partnership has worked through the preliminary groundwork for integrating services (click here for more information on planning), it’s time for preparing for the delivery of the services. The detailed outline created in earlier steps becomes your business plan. The plan serves as a map of the partnership’s goals and provides direction for delivering services.

Formalizing the partnership

When two organizations are collaborating for providing integrated services, it’s important to understand the legal and regulatory requirements. Working through this process should include consultation with an attorney. The following resources provide additional information for consideration:

Service Delivery

Once the legalities have been addressed, including the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, Business Associates Agreement, etc., it’s (finally!) time to establish a start date and prepare for the delivery of the much needed services. The preliminary work, though tedious at times, was necessary to ensure the success of service delivery.

Careful planning is the hallmark of successful healthcare integration!

Through the careful planning of the behavioral health and primary care providers, they are ready to offer services in a more holistic manner. With co-morbid behavioral and physical health conditions more often the rule rather than the exception, the newly integrated services enable the team to provide much more comprehensive care coordination in this behavioral health and primary care marriage than either partner could have done independently. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts!

Celebrating Success

Once the equipment and supplies are in place, staff training is completed, and the start date has been announced to internal and external referral sources, it’s time to celebrate!

Celebrating important milestones is very important for ongoing success. It is an opportunity to strengthen relations among the healthcare integration team. Also, celebrating milestones is a valuable opportunity for leaders to re-energize their employees around the partnership’s Strategic Objectives by thanking the people who helped make the achievements happen.

Though things won’t always be harmonious, the partnership can persevere the difficult times through establishing a strong core to build upon. As discussed in The Partnership: Creating a Solid Foundation for Successful Healthcare Integration: “A partnership that has the solid and flexible foundation that is necessary for a lasting partnership” will weather the inevitable storms ahead.

If we are together nothing is impossible. If we are divided all will fail.
–Winston Churchill

Healthcare Integration Partnerships: Understanding Specialty Behavioral Health

The integration of behavioral health and primary care services allows for a holistic approach for the treatment of people with serious behavioral health disorders. As the disparate healthcare providers join together to provide treatment, the obvious differences between them must be addressed for success.

There are misconceptions that behavioral health providers want to address with their primary care partners for maximizing their integration efforts.

Understanding the Community Behavioral Health Core Mission

Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHCs) are specialty behavioral healthcare providers and serve a vital role in the healthcare industry.  The community behavioral health system provides treatment for individuals who have serious mental illnesses, substance use disorders, co-occurring SMI/SUD, and children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances. These organizations are not a repository for the worried well. Their role is to address complex disorders that are generally beyond the scope of practice of primary care providers. In addition to providing psychiatric oversight, they also possess an expertise in rehabilitation and recovery that is not available in primary care. These services include psychosocial rehabilitation, peer support, case management, supported employment, and supportive housing. Treatment is provided through a team approach that begins with a thorough biopsychosocial assessment to identify life stressors, level of functioning, and clinical symptomology. Services are directed by the psychiatrist or psychiatric-extender who serves as prescriber.  Counseling, rehabilitation, recovery, and support services are carried out by other members of the team.  CBHCs can work collaboratively with CHCs to effectively meet the whole health needs of people with behavioral health concerns.

Differing Pace and Workflow 

The CBHC pace is very unlike that of the primary care clinic. Long waits for appointments are the norm rather than the exception. CBHC office visits with the prescriber frequently exceed the standard 15 minute allotment in the CHC. This is due to the complexity of symptoms of many of the individuals served. While some CBHCs are beginning to use an open access approach, most are still using the standard scheduled appointment model that may result in a several week wait to see a prescriber. This has been a barrier to working collaboratively in the past. CHCs have opted to avoid making referrals because of the excessive wait and lack of status updates.

A side note: behavioral health can assist with the flow in the primary care setting. The flow of busy primary care clinics can be side-railed by patients with behavioral health disorders in addition to their other health concerns. Adding a behavioral health specialist to the team to address the behavioral health issues improves the flow, patient satisfaction, and clinical outcomes.

Lack of Regulation Uniformity

Reimbursement for CBHC services varies greatly from primary care. Block grants for mental health and substance use disorder treatment are regulated at the state level, resulting in a lack of consistency. Each state has created its own system for determining how the funds are allocated and how outcomes are measured. The process of billing for and receiving reimbursement for services is tedious. Some states have opted for capitation; others have a fee for service system. Other states have outsourced this to managed care companies.  Historically private insurance has not provided equitable coverage for behavioral health disorders, creating a gap between coverage for behavioral health and physical health conditions. A mental health law, the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, ensures that individuals with mental health and substance use disorders receive healthcare services equal to those for physical health conditions without larger co-pays.

Unique Needs of Specialty Care

The National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) 2006, Morbidity and Mortality for People with Serious Mental Illness, reports that people with serious mental illness are dying on average 25 years earlier than the general population. In addition, according to Substance Use Disorders and the Person-Centered Healthcare Home a 2010 report by Barbara Mauer, people with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders were at greatest risk with their average age of death 45 years of age. The people we serve are dying prematurely in part due to poor quality of medical care. This population fails to get adequate healthcare for a variety of reasons. Integrating primary care services in the behavioral health setting is a viable solution for improving health outcomes.

  • Specialty behavioral health services for individuals who have a serious mental illness and one or more comorbid health condition requires coordinated care. Ideally the care is delivered via the behavioral health home. The team is led by the psychiatrist working closely with the entire treatment team, including the primary care provider.
  • Stigma is a barrier to accessing services for people with behavioral health disorders. Historically preconceived notions associated with behavioral health disorders have limited effective access to healthcare by many individuals.
  • Due to the pervasive lack of support systems for people with serious behavioral health conditions, the role of case manager is extremely important for supporting identified functional needs. Case managers frequently assist clients with preparing for visits with their primary care provider and often accompany them as well to ensure coordinated care.

Solution for Information Sharing

Historically CBHCs have not freely communicated with primary care about their shared patients. This originated because of a common misperception that has persisted in behavioral health that sharing mental health and substance use information with primary care providers is prohibited without going through an elaborate process. CBHCs realize that this has created a barrier for collaboration and are actively working at developing a solution; addressing HIPAA/confidentiality and 42 CFR Part 2 to develop a process for effectively sharing information.

It is through increased understanding of the differences between the healthcare partners that true success will occur, evidenced by improved health outcomes.

Health Care Reform: The Affordable Care Act and Healthcare Integration

The Supreme Court decision on June 28, 2012, delivered approximately 10:15am EDT, is a boon for healthcare integration. (Though it was scary there for a few minutes when certain hasty, overanxious members of the media provided the wrong results!)

For the past few years, community behavioral health and primary care organizations have been working collaboratively to provide services for the people they serve, diligently trying to create the perfect formula for doing what is best for the healthcare needs of the people they serve, while at the same time striving to remain financially solvent. And they have done a remarkable job! But it isn’t easy…nor have their outcomes always been ideal, largely due to limited resources. Certainly not for lack of trying!

These benevolent community providers are charged with serving the most in need. This does not always translate into being adequately compensated for their efforts, however. While some have been forced to limit their services, most have managed to avoid rationing thus far through their persistence in seeking alternatives, such as creating referral agreements, co-locating, full integration, and with grant funding. In addition, many have engaged in advocating for change at the local, state, and national levels. These tenacious providers recognize that an unwavering focus on the mission is the foundation for success.

With the newly upheld Affordable Care Act, more people will have access to healthcare coverage and will not be rejected because of pre-existing conditions. Also, for the states that don’t opt out of the new Medicaid expansion, all residents below the 133 percent of the poverty line will be eligible for Medicaid coverage. Therefore, more of the people served by community providers who were previously uninsured will have healthcare coverage. This will allow the providers to be compensated for more of the services they provide, thus supporting the mission.

The ACA doesn’t provide all the answers but it is a move in the right direction. Politics aside, our healthcare system isn’t working the way it is. We need major changes. We already know that integrating behavioral health and primary care services is more economical and provides improved health outcomes. Through these health homes, individual care is coordinated. That just makes sense.  The health home approach translates into better care for fewer healthcare dollars. This is a perfect opportunity to build on a successful model.

Read the AMA Commentary by Dr. Jeremy Lazarus, AMA president, on the benefits of the ACA on healthcare integration.

With our newly upheld Accountable Care Act at the cusp of our nation’s 236th birthday, it’s a perfect time to pull together and focus on building a system that allows us to provide effective services to meet the total healthcare needs of people with behavioral health concerns in this, the land of the free and the home of the (soon t0 be) healthy.

Yours, Mine, and Ours: Workforce and Healthcare Integration

A company’s greatest asset is its workforce. The employees are the lifeblood of an organization, as I’m sure most leaders would agree. Therefore, paying close attention to keeping your employees informed and engaged when entering into an integrated behavioral health and primary care partnership is crucial for success. And the sooner, the better.

Sibling Rivalry

Like blended families, the integration of two organizations brings up some fundamental concerns among the employees. Concerns over job security, roles, and change in general are paramount. Your employees will be working with the employees from the partner company and will not likely develop into a cohesive team immediately. Additional challenges are introduced with the unique role of the employees who are hired jointly by the partners. The uncertainty and anxiety are sure to result in sibling rivalry among employees. Sibling rivalry is characterized by a jealousy that develops between employees. This, of course, impedes teamwork, especially if some members of the team are granted a superior status. This  sometimes happens when the integration efforts are held out as being a special or top-priority project. While it’s not possible to eliminate all anxiety, it’s possible to avoid sibling rivalry among your, my, and our employees and to allow them to transition into a unified team.

Healthcare integration is in its infancy and trained workforce is sparse. However, it is not necessary to hire new employees for your enhanced services. Providing training for employees, ongoing thorough and consistent communication, coupled with reassurance on the front end will go a long way toward successful integration of the employees, and are key to success. The following guidelines will help to promote a close-knit and committed integrated team:

  • Communicate an overview of the vision of the partnership followed with frequent status updates. This also helps your team develop a sense of buy in to the mission.
  • Provide each team member with a clear understanding of his or her role and how it fits into the whole.
  • Provide ample training for all team members to ensure that they are prepared for healthcare integration.
  • Building trust among employees is vital for effective teamwork. Frequent opportunities for face-to-face interaction are important for developing a sense of camaraderie.
  • Champions within the organization play a large role in the success of projects. Recognize them (they are in all levels of the organization, just look for them) and allow them to take on leadership roles.
  • As with all new endeavors, solicit feedback from your team. By providing an environment that values candor, early missteps are quickly corrected and creative ideas are put to use for long-term success.
  • It’s important to recognize that some people belong on the bus but are just in the wrong seats. Keep an eye out for employees who are onboard with the mission but struggling with their current role(s). These employees are keepers and should be placed in roles that emphasize their strengths.
  • And vital to a successful team, it’s important to acknowledge when an employee is neither prepared nor motivated for the adjustment in the mission and must seek professional fulfillment elsewhere.

What would you add to this list?

For successful healthcare integration, focused attention to your workforce can quickly transition “yours, mine, and ours” to an effective integrated team.

For Better or for Worse: Honoring the Partnership in Behavioral Health and Primary Care Integration

“I now pronounce you…Integrated.”

The early days of the integrated healthcare relationship are typically idyllic, filled with smiles and hopes and dreams. Oh, if we could only maintain that blissful state forever…

Unfortunately relationships don’t maintain a static pattern but are interspersed with disruptions on occasion (or frequently). When these disturbances intervene, the blissful state is challenged.

These are the times that try administrators’ souls.

For a partnership to persevere the inevitable challenges, the basic foundation must be solid.  Just as skyscrapers are built with deep foundations that are not only solid but allow flexibility to prevent collapse when severe environmental or other hazardous conditions erupt, the integrated partnership requires a carefully developed, yet flexible foundation. With a firm core, the relationship has the elements in place to withstand challenges that are sure to occur. (Click here for more information on building a successful behavioral health – primary care partnership.)

Sustainability Planning

Sustainability plans are often synonymous with financial sustainability but will occasionally focus on health information technology in the planning as well. The partnership itself, however, is often overlooked in the sustainability plan. This is unfortunate because if the partnership fails, the plan is rendered moot. The actual partnership itself is taken for granted after the initial honeymoon phase. This is a grave mistake for true sustainability.

Consider this scenario:
Due to internal operational and fiscal needs, the behavioral health partner’s executive team has decided to reassign the integrated BH counselor who has been working in the primary care clinic for two years. The counselor will be replaced with another counselor who is more experienced and is credentialed in both mental health and substance use disorders. Seeing this rearrangement as a win-win, the behavioral health partner is shocked and confused when they hear that the primary care partner, in reaction to this news, is considering hiring their own counselor instead of accepting the replacement counselor. There are even rumors that they might pull out of the partnership.

What went wrong?

  1. The behavioral health partner failed to include the primary care partner in the discussion, thus failing to honor the relationship; the primary care partner felt disrespected.
  2. Rather than express concern to the behavioral health partner, the primary care partner took a reactionary approach instead.
  3. Unaware of behavioral health partner’s internal issues, the primary care partner assumed the worst.
  4. The behavioral health partner failed to understand the value of the individual to the team, not just for the service provided. Counselors are not interchangeable. The counselor was viewed as a valued member of the primary care team.
  5. The executive teams of the partners stopped communicating after the partnership was launched, resulting in a weakening of the committment by each partner.

The list could go on.

This partnership, though financially sound, has neglected to nurture the core relationship. As long as things were going smoothly, the partnership appeared to be successful. Unfortunately, a slight disruption to the routine has threatened the weak core of the partnership. In addition to the obvious lack of effective communication taking place in this dysfunctional relationship, there are other factors also present that are all too common in partnerships:

  • Lack of commitment
  • Lack of respect

Commitment and respect underscore the core requirements for longevity.

Commitment

All partners must be committed to ensuring that integration efforts have the necessary tools for success. This includes the committment of time, not just financial and other resources. When the commitment is present, there is no concern over “fair weather friends” syndrome.

  • Are you prepared to make sacrifices necessary for success?
  • When the going gets tough are you still committed?

Respect

Basic respect is crucial. Your partner has many challenges and concerns that are unrelated to your partnership. Respecting that these are important to your partner whether or not you can fully recognize the impact goes a long way toward being a good partner. Taking the time to gain a better understanding is even better.

  • Do you have a thorough understanding of your partner’s business model?
  • Do you understand the challenges that your partner faces specific to the specialty such as regulatory, operational, clinical, etc.?

Why are these things important?

Understanding and honoring the things that are important to your partner organization strengthens the core of your relationship. Remember, the Golden Rule applies to behavioral health and primary care integration partnerships, too.

No Margin No Mission: Sustainability in Behavioral Health – Primary Care Integration

Of the many challenges in integrating behavioral health and primary care services, the one that garners the most apprehension and concern is sustainability. It is also the most frequent reason for hesitation in moving forward. Healthcare is not set up to address this. Primary care and behavioral health have different billing codes with no easily decipherable means of venturing outside the confines to include payment for integrated services. The mere thought of the process required to begin to tear down the barriers separating the two worlds strikes fear in the hearts of the most courageous administrators.

Healthcare administrators are presented with conflicting demands and are struggling to reconcile the next step. They can:

  1. Ignore the ever increasing focus on healthcare integration and hope it is just another passing fad; or
  2. Place even more burden on the ever-shrinking budgets and hope for the best.

Let’s take a closer look at the options:

Ignoring healthcare integration seems like the easiest solution. Administrators can align themselves with like-minded peers creating a support group who reinforces the notion that it will all just fade away if they merely wait it out. This group gets considerable pleasure in observing the early adopters from a distance, filled with certainty that they are all making huge mistakes. They pat themselves on the back encouragingly as they watch their naïve peers make the occasional fumble, while attributing any successes to sheer (unsustainable) luck.

Over-burdening the current budget seems to be irresponsible. Behavioral health administrators have been faced with budget cuts in unprecedented amounts over the past few years. While they have either become masters at doing more with less or have chosen to leave the field entirely, taking on a new business-line during the increasing uncertainty of their organizations’ financial states seems to be overly risky and counterintuitive.

Yet the pressure is on.

Nationally, more and more behavioral health conferences are featuring healthcare integration tracks. The same is becoming true of primary care conferences and conventions as well. With more and more research and reports being released that provide the necessary data to support the need for integration, it’s becoming more and more difficult to write it off as a passing fad. The recent report from the SAMHSA-sponsored, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Physical Health Conditions among Adults with Mental Illnesses provides further evidence supporting earlier reports demonstrating the need for integration.

The current model of providing behavioral healthcare may be on its way to becoming obsolete. Now is the time for behavioral healthcare administrators to begin the discussion of how to address the whole-health needs of the people they serve. Whether through collaborative partnership agreements, bi-directional integration, or full integration, this issue can no longer be ignored. There are many changes that can be implemented right away (focusing on billing codes and maximizing billing opportunities) while others will require advocating changes at the state and federal level. (Click here for helpful billing tools created by the SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions.) Daunting though this may seem, the climate is right for these discussions with your state Medicaid and behavioral health offices. They are faced with the task of making the necessary changes to move into the new era of healthcare integration. Strategically, it’s far better to be a part of discussions on creating this new structure than to have it imposed on your organizations. The Georgia Association of Community Services Boards has partnered with the Carter Center to create a forum for change in Georgia via their Integrative Healthcare Learning Collaborative. Not only have they included the public behavioral health providers and their primary care partners, they also have representation from the Georgia Primary Care Association and area medical schools.  They recognize that in order to develop sustainable programs everyone must be at the table.

What are your strategies for sustaining healthcare integration?
I’d love to hear from you. Please enter your comments/suggestions/ideas below or email: behavioralhealthintegration@gmail.com.

Let’s not lose sight of the goal: we must work together to make a difference in improving health outcomes of the people we serve. We CAN ensure that the margin is there to continue the mission. Be a part of the solution!

UPDATE: The Greatest Challenges for Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care Services

The recent poll conducted via the LinkedIn group, Behavioral Health Integration, continued to generate thought-provoking comments following the last post. (Click here to see the initial results.) Thought-leaders, behavioral health, and primary care professionals have offered their perspectives on the pressing question:

WHAT IS THE GREATEST CHALLENGE FOR INTEGRATING BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND PRIMARY CARE SERVICES?* 

Mark L:  Community health records (CHR) that follows the patient and not the provider or payer source will create the sustainability –finance and billing that aid Partnerships to create better operations/workflow that in turn solve workforce issues.
I think the solution for integration of health care is an IT solution that allows for communication not in any “one” silo but in a cloud, it is the premise of the question about integration that it will be in a silo that leads to obsolescence or a least does not address systemic issues of communion about the actual needs of the patient first.

  1. Providers at all levels of care need to exchange information both horizontally and vertically, such as a transfer of care to another provider at a higher or lower level of care. Also community integration of available resources for discharges from one provider to the next or transitions to the public systems from private system or vice versa.
  2. The public and private sectors need to work together to “speak the same IT Language” the health record should follow the person in any system.
  3. Acute care and mental health care systems need the same ability to communicate, whether or not you call the person a client or patient. Mental health and acute care providers can then communicate and bill on a “continuity of care” coordinating treatment for a patient as a team and not in silos.
    The export of data from one CHR to the next is where standardization needs to be the focus. I am excited to see future of blending of Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIOs), Health Information Exchange (HIE). RHIOs and HIE are changing the discussion from silos to clouds.

Leslie B: This may be one of my favorite topics. Yes, I agree that IT can play a part of it, but that is not the only part of the system that needs to change. Like one of the members of discussion, the providers and their ability to talk to each other is one. Program Development requires system and staff changes, changes in thinking, and the ability to assess each site. Each Primary care setting has its own challenges, so one can say provider insight at one location and Behavioral Health provider readiness at another location and yet another location might have the inability to see each other’s records or there may be a staffing problem. I think the biggest challenge can be who is going to pay for it, once everybody in the system figures out what it is anyway. It may require more behavioral health providers and more medical providers. Will there really be a return on that investment. The patient would probably get more holistic care, but it isn’t going to cost any less money.

Bob H:  I believe that one of the greatest challenges is that we need to stop talking about behavioral health and primary care and begin focusing on the needs of the individuals receiving our services and how our systems can best serve their needs. We need to include clear measures of ‘behavioral economics’ and understand that we all act and react to rewards and benefits. We need to structure our systems and our interventions to incentivize overall health improvements, whether behavioral or medical.
We will only have truely intregrated care when we are patient centered and stop distinguishing between behavioral health and primary care. That does not mean that we will not have specialists; whether they be psychiatric, medical, communication, design, or information and technology. It is all about the focus on the patient’s needs and building workflows to address those needs appropriately to assist them in reaching productive and effective outcomes as a result of our services and interventions.

Nelson B: In short, the greatest challenge of healthcare integration is getting paid for effective services. Coleman Professional Services will look at the best outcome of our customer; their health, their ability to have stable living conditions, volunteering or employed and their ability to appropriate socialize in their community. Let’s look at the outcome for our customer and get paid for this outcome.

Michael J: Reading this thread shows that there is a great deal of thought being put into this topic. I think that some of this boils down to a chicken and an egg. And Nelson is right on target about the pay systems. We in our industry have not truly integrated mental healthcare and addictions treatment. Now I know there are pockets of good co-occurring treatment programs here and there, but as an industry they continue to be separate. And the biggest reason is following the money. The money for these services are not braided, and so they stay separate.
I’m currently working on a perinatal mental health integration project. We know what to do clinically (we are using the IMPACT model) and we have OBs who want to participate. We have Medicaid insured women we have identified as needing care. But since the Medicaid is carved-out, the physical health Medicaid plan will not pay for the service as they don’t pay for MH services, and the MH plan won’t pay because they don’t purchase physician services from non-psychiatrists unless they are credentialed as a part of a licensed agency with a MH contract. If the insurance companies and the government wanted to have integrated healthcare, they would have it. If there was a requirement that integrated care was insisted upon for reimbursement we would be all over it. In fact, we do all sorts of odd things now to respond to external requirements that have absolutely nothing to do with the delivery of care. So I have to believe that once the system starts demanding integration it will have it. The system gets what the market commands. The reason there are no solid IT solutions that can incorporate MH and PC is because the market doesn’t demand it. But vendors will respond when that’s required or they will be out of business, just like we would be if the demands were levied upon us and we didn’t respond.

Bob F: This has been a great discussion Cheryl – thanks for posting it. I read the responses from the other groups where you posted this question as well. It seems there isn’t necessarily an individual “biggest” challenge that organizations face versus as much as a varying number or group of issues that organizations face depending on a variety of factors: state environment, organizational structure, readiness to change, internal infrastructure, willing partners, etc. One of the keystones of integrated care is that our patients come to us fully assembled, and our treatment/wellness/prevention response to them has to be, in turn, as fully assembled in order to be effective. And efficient. Clearly the challenge we face in just about every region of the country is that the obstacles are likewise effectively assembled. At Cherokee Health Systems here in TN – even after running an integrated system for over 30 years new challenges surface all the time, chief among them payers who shift priorities from contract to contract, workforce (less primary care docs and psychiatrists all the time), finding time to be innovative in the development of such practices as telehealth, telepsychiatry and telepharmacy, etc. When we do our training academies we focus on all of these issues – administrative, operations, financing, workforce, PC-BH collaborations, model development – because we understand that it is almost never a single obstacle. Anyway – great to follow along and see the efforts being undertaken out there!

David R: New EMR processes are forcing medical case management accountability. Behavioral health case management processes are a generation behind medical and will require a sizable accountability shift for clinical participants.

*The question was also posted in these LinkedIn groups: Behavioral Healthcare Magazine Group, Mental Health Networking, The Friends of SAMHSA.

The poll results demonstrated a shift: with 44 total votes, Partnership has demonstrated a considerable increase, closing the gap on Sustainability.

POLL RESULTS:

Sustainability — finance and billing           38%

Partnership issues                                           31%

Workforce issues                                              7%

HIT issues                                                         5%

Operations/workflow issues                         18%

Without a doubt, each of the five factors is very important for successful integration. The next blog post will take a look at overcoming these challenges.

What do YOU think is the greatest challenge for integrating behavioral health and primary care services? Please send your comments to BehavioralHealthIntegration@gmail.com or visit Behavioral Health Integration

Integrating Primary Care into the Behavioral Health Clinic

Innovative, forward-thinking behavioral health leaders are quickly moving forward to bring primary care services into their clinics. They are committed to improving the health outcomes of the individuals who receive their services. This blog post focuses on practical how-tos for optimizing service delivery.

PREPARING FOR INTEGRATED SERVICE DELIVERY

When co-locating primary care in a community behavioral health center, take care in planning the physical location of the primary care staff offices and exam rooms. Most behavioral health centers find space to be a premium. Bringing primary care services into the behavioral health clinic begins a flurry of activity of planning. An empty office or an office that is the obvious choice for doubling up employees is the typical starting point in planning. The easy solution is not the ideal solution. In order to prevent problems once the services are established, it is worth the effort to consider the following points:

Start with a Customer Service Perspective

Initial planning must be based on providing the best service for individuals who will be accessing services. This includes consideration of the ideal customer experience will be. Through starting with the end-goal in sight, you can effectively work backward to create the ideal. Providing a pleasant environment with a customer-centric flow that effectively integrates service delivery results in satisfied customers and providers.

Strategic Planning 

Integration of services will not occur unless primary care and behavioral health staff are located so that they can interact regularly. Passing each other in the hall promotes a sense of teamwork and allows for brief hallway consults. Physical distance prevents interaction and reduces the likelihood of true integration. When primary care services are segregated into a separate hallway, wing, or even a different floor, integration of services is hindered to the point of being essentially impossible. This model promotes a siloed model that discourages interaction between providers. A little disruption on the front end will prevent problems in the long run. Take the time to carefully plan the workflow. By relocating a few offices, chances for successful integration of services is maximized. Perhaps you may want to be really daring and have behavioral health and primary care professionals’ desks located in a central office near the exam rooms. Togetherness breeds camaraderie.

Encourage Warm Handoffs

This vote of confidence from one professional to another greatly increases the likelihood of follow through by the client. When the behavioral health and primary care professionals are in close proximity, even the busiest providers are able to take a moment to make this brief but invaluable introduction.

The Value of Flexibility 

Flexibility can be a challenge for behavioral health clinics. As a result, many rely on a rigid method of scheduling that is based on convenience of the clinic rather than the customer. This method has historically been a challenge for clinics and the people who seek services there. No show rates soar while unyielding (or is it naive?) administrators continue to expect people with cognitive impairment to somehow be trained to adhere to rigid methods of receiving services. This is costly for the clinic and frustrating for the client. It is NOT customer-centric.

It behooves community behavioral health clinics to follow the lead of their primary care cousins and opt for more flexible scheduling to meet the demands of the individuals served. This is even more important in an integrated setting that requires greater coordination for meeting the whole health needs of individuals. Open access and same-day scheduling are options.

Engage the Primary Care Staff in Planning the Workflow

Engaging primary care staff in planning workflow not only allows buy-in from everyone, it prevents having to make modifications later on. Workflow in primary care is very different than in the behavioral health setting. Negotiating the flow for integration ensures smooth service delivery and maximizes staff productivity.

Shared Reception is Ideal

One front desk for check in promotes the sense of seamless service delivery. It greatly simplifies the process for clients as well as staff. Having separate locations for checking in is an extra step in the workflow and is not customer-centric.

Plan for Frequent, Regular Case Consultation 

Weekly treatment team meetings that include all behavioral health and primary care providers offers a forum for integrated case discussion to supplement (rather than take the place of) ongoing, daily consultation. This allows providers to discuss difficult cases, building on the expertise of all. It also further promotes the sense of teamwork that is important for integration.

Check back for more practical how-tos for integrated service delivery.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. I encourage readers to send in their ideas of other logistical considerations for successful integration to behavioralhealthintegration@gmail.com to be included in a future post of Behavioral Health Integration. 

Making the Behavioral Health – Primary Care Marriage Work

Every relationship follows a similar pattern. The early phase begins with the selection of a partner. The same holds true for the integrated behavioral health and primary care partnership. It may begin with running into each other at a meeting. Or perhaps while reading the latest report on the emerging trend of healthcare integration, Accountable Care Organizations, health homes, etc…

The VISION begins to form                         

The behavioral health and primary care clinics enter into the dating relationship when the leaders of each, who have mutual admiration for each other, begin to recognize the potential of doing business together. One leader calls the other, suggesting they get together for lunch. It’s only lunch, he rationalizes to himself, it doesn’t mean anything…there’s no harm just in talking…. One thing leads to another during the wooing and courting phase; soon the idea transitions and the outline of a plan begins to emerge. The two leaders have entered the early stages of the partnership. The Vision is being created, becoming a driving force for each. The two organizations soon find themselves having serious discussions about forming a partnership. How did THIS happen?? The proposal is followed with a flurry of planning. There are so many details! Attorneys are kept busy creating a business plan and reviewing financial and regulatory documents, planning for the wedding of two organizations. Decisions must be made of how the assets are to be shared. Finances are sorted, MOUs are signed, and the partnership is official. The marriage of behavioral health and primary care creates a unique entity that is far greater together than either had, or could have been, alone. The early stage of the partnership is filled with excitement as the Vision takes shape and becomes reality. The shared vision is driven by the passion to become what neither can achieve alone. The specialty behavioral health provider and the primary care provider have integrated, raising the bar of healthcare for people with behavioral health disorders.

This marriage of healthcare providers is based on a Vision shared by two of eliminating the health disparities of people who suffer from serious mental illness and substance use disorders.

COMMUNICATION

Early Phase: THE HONEYMOON

In the early days of the partnership, the Honeymoon phase, there is a distinct tendency toward assuming that both partners are speaking the same language and are working toward the same goals. The excitement of the new endeavor and the synergy created initially helps to move things along at a rapid pace. When the behavioral health partner talks about workflow and scheduling appointments, there is little thought given to the fact that these two concepts have VERY different meanings for the primary care provider. It is important to have a thorough review of operations from both perspectives and to find a viable middle-ground that both partners find acceptable. Making open, frequent communication a priority from the onset will prevent problems later on.  This should include a thorough overview of each organization’s regulatory, financial, and operational processes as well as overall mission. Don’t assume that the two partners really understand how each other’s organization functions.

Problems within the Partnership
(AKA THE HONEYMOON IS OVER!)

If the partners neglect to develop an open culture of communication on the front end, it is likely that miscommunication will develop. The Honeymoon phase is in jeopardy. The entrepreneurial partner fails to understand the ongoing delays from the partner with the extensive bureaucratic approval process that prevents a quick turnaround of virtually everything. As misunderstandings develop into disappointments and resentments, the previous harmony is disrupted. The Honeymoon is over. Internal conflicts must be addressed immediately with candor. This is a good time to have an open conversation about all the aforementioned points and develop a plan for ongoing, frequent communication. Concerns about the great divide over productivity targets, outcome measures, and caseloads must be openly discussed, among other important points of contention. By devoting the necessary focus on the importance of Communication, the partnership will successfully transition to the third key component for a successful behavioral health – primary care marriage, Compromise. The shared mission to reduce health disparities for the individuals served who suffer from comorbid behavioral health and medical conditions will persevere. However, failure to make this transition may very well land this promising partnership into divorce court.

COMPROMISE

I shall argue that strong men, conversely, know when to compromise and that all principles can be compromised to serve a greater principle. –Andrew Carnegie

It isn’t easy to bring a behavioral health organization and a primary care organization together for the creation of an integrated partnership, despite the reason–altruistic or otherwise. When partners fail to provide adequate attention to open and effective communication, the excitement of early marriage can wane; the relationship may become troubled, requiring mediation. When misunderstandings occur and tempers flare, it’s time for an intervention to get the partnership back on track.

Marital Counseling

As with any relationship, compromise is a necessary element in the behavioral health – primary care partnership. After the honeymoon phase, the partnership enters a crucial period in which its future is determined by the ability of the partners to negotiate the (sometimes rocky) path ahead. Differences between the two entities become more apparent as pressure mounts via the divergent audits, budgets, various regulatory requirements, etc. Furthermore, what are the partners to do when they encounter conflicting requirements? Marital counseling may be in order at this point. In other words, it’s time for the partners to take a time-out and take an honest and open appraisal. Developing shared solutions are important for strengthening the bond. The partners must approach all dilemmas together as a team. Each has a vested interest; negotiating solutions will strengthen that bond. Wise leaders recognize that trust is not automatically bestowed. Members of the teams need time and patience for trust to develop. By bringing together members from each team who share similar roles and encouraging ongoing, regular interaction, trust begins to develop within the partnership. Remember that trust cannot be rushed but will grow into a strong foundation  throughout the partnering organizations if nurtured. Empowering the team provides the opportunity for everyone to develop a sense of ownership for successful outcomes. Empowered employs who feel that they play an important role in the organization and who feel valued by management have a greater sense of commitment to the organization. Allow team members the ability to make decisions rather than having every movement scripted. When the receptionist is empowered to work-in an emergency patient without having to gain approval for every occurrence, amazing things begin to happen:  The receptionist feels like a valued member of the team, the patient benefits from the responsiveness, and the other members of the team benefit from the smooth workflow. In marriage, each partner has a responsibility for doing his/her part to ensure equilibrium. The same is true between andwithin the partnership.

Determine Expectations

Mentioning expectations at this point might seem unnecessary. After all, the behavioral health and primary care organization have formed the partnership for the distinct purpose of providing healthcare integration. It’s a very clear expectation and doesn’t require discussion. Or does it? Just as a couple contemplating marriage might wrongly assume that each has the same idea of what their marriage will be like (one partner daydreams about a trendy loft in the city while the other longs for a house with a massive lawn in the suburbs), the integrated healthcare partnership can fall into the same trap of flawed thinking. Don’t assume! The chances for happily ever after increase exponentially when time and effort are committed for open discussions about expectations for the partnership. Both partners must be willing to compromise on expectations when they are incongruent. And don’t forget:

People with serious mental illness are dying while we try to figure this out!

OUTCOMES

With individuals who suffer from serious mental illnesses dying 25 years prematurely on average, behavioral health and primary care have been mandated to address this health disparity. More effective protocols are in order and must be initiated immediately. This is a matter of life and death. The Behavioral Health and Primary Care Marriage is a viable solution.

Growing Old Together

Once the marriage has successfully navigated the first three essential components of a behavioral health – primary care marriage, Vision, Communication, and Compromise,  the final component builds and maintains the mature partnership for growing old together.

The Whole is Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts

The Behavioral Health – Primary Care Marriage, at its best, is an entity so much more than just two collaborating organizations. The synergistic effect of the partnering of two organizations has the ability to surpass what either can accomplish alone. The community behavioral health organization has expertise in treating complex behavioral health disorders but does not address the primary care needs of individuals. The primary care organization excels at treating a myriad of health conditions including mild behavioral health disorders but does not have the expertise to address serious mental illness or substance use disorders. The marriage of behavioral health and primary care serves as a means of connecting the head and the body; it may be thought of as the neck of healthcare. The neck allows the best of both worlds to work together in unison, becoming far greater than either can be alone.

Enhanced Outcomes through Blending of Resources

Measuring outcomes provides evidence of the value of the partnership. Through building on the expertise of each, the blended resources result in enhanced outcomes. For example, theUniversity of Washington’s IMPACT Evidence-based Depression Care has impressive results in improved outcomes with significant cost reduction through collaborative care. The marriage thrives with ongoing feedback, allowing for calibration to ensure that services are effective and financially sustainable. To provide a comprehensive overview, it is recommended that individual health outcome indicators, service outcome indicators, and outcomes data for decision making are included in the repertoire of data collected for analysis and sharing. Implement a system of collecting the indicators at the onset of the partnership. The indicators must be meaningful to both partners. The National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors has a very useful report for guiding the process, Measurement of Health Status for People with Serious Mental Illness.

Accountability

Frequent, regular intervals of sharing results with the team establish a sense of accountability that builds the foundation for longevity. Both partners have responsibility to the partnership and to producing positive outcomes. By following the Four Key Components for a Successful Behavioral Health and Primary Care Marriage, the partnership will live happily ever after.

OUTCOMES: The Fourth Key Component of a Successful Behavioral Health and Primary Care Marriage

With individuals who suffer from serious mental illnesses dying 25 years prematurely on average, behavioral health and primary care have been mandated to address this health disparity. More effective protocols are in order and must be initiated immediately. This is a matter of life and death.

The Behavioral Health and Primary Care Marriage is a viable solution.

Growing Old Together

To recap, for behavioral health and primary care marriages to be effective, there are four components that are necessary. Vision, Communication, and Compromise have been explored in previous posts. The final component, derived from the first three, is Outcomes. This element builds and maintains the mature partnership for growing old together.

The Whole is Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts

The Behavioral Health – Primary Care Marriage, at its best, is an entity so much more than just two collaborating organizations. The synergistic effect of the partnering of two organizations has the ability to surpass what either can accomplish alone. The community behavioral health organization has expertise in treating complex behavioral health disorders but does not address the primary care needs of individuals. The primary care organization excels at treating a myriad of health conditions including mild behavioral health disorders but does not have the expertise to address serious mental illness or substance use disorders.

The marriage of behavioral health and primary care serves as a means of connecting the head and the body; it may be thought of as the neck of healthcare. The neck allows the best of both worlds to work together in unison, becoming far greater than either can be alone.

Enhanced Outcomes through Blending of Resources

Measuring outcomes provides evidence of the value of the partnership. Through building on the expertise of each, the blended resources result in enhanced outcomes. For example, the University of Washington’s IMPACT Evidence-based Depression Care has impressive results in improved outcomes with significant cost reduction through collaborative care.

The marriage thrives with ongoing feedback, allowing for calibration to ensure that services are effective and financially sustainable. To provide a comprehensive overview, it is recommended that individual health outcome indicators, service outcome indicators, and outcomes data for decision making are included in the repertoire of data collected for analysis and sharing. Implement a system of collecting the indicators at the onset of the partnership. The indicators must be meaningful to both partners. The National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors has a very useful report for guiding the process, Measurement of Health Status for People with Serious Mental Illness.

Accountability

Frequent, regular intervals of sharing results with the team establish a sense of accountability that builds the foundation for longevity. Both partners have responsibility to the partnership and to producing positive outcomes.

By following the Four Key Components for a Successful Behavioral Health and Primary Care Marriage, the partnership will live happily ever after.