Healthcare is awash in quality metrics. Registries of PHQ-9 scores. Frequency of visits. Decreased utilization rates. Reduced response times to emergencies. We believe they create better clinical outcomes through greater accountability of interventions and systems. Of course, there’s a great deal of truth here. But the touchy-feely therapist in me tells me there’s something […]
Family Systems and Complexity Science: Two Sides of the Same Coin
Laying in a field looking up at a partly cloudy sky, a late summer breeze pushes through the trees, portending the coming chill. The breeze sets a sleek starling to flight. Immediately, hundreds of starlings follow, with a thunderous rustle of leaves. Their silent dance above, an exquisitely choreographed molding, is a wonder. Did that […]
Welcome to the 2019 CFHA Annual Conference in Denver!
Known as the Mile High City, Denver is the perfect city to host the 2019 annual conference for integrated care where the sky is the limit. Denver is home to one of the most walkable downtowns in the nation, making it easy to visit countless restaurants, breweries, museums, and parks after a full day of […]
Empowering People & Systems in Integrated Care
Healthcare leadership needs a makeover. The current rates of burnout and turnover in healthcare (including integrated care) are not sustainable. We need leaders who empower others. Empowerment helps staff to work to their full potential, participate in decision making, take ownership for tasks that utilize their expertise, feel valued, and feel committed to their team’s […]
SSSMART Self Management Goals
Ah, goals. We all set them for ourselves. Do I even need to tell you how many times I have vowed to get up 15 minutes early to meditate every morning or given up cookies? More often than not goals require too much additional energy and not enough failsafe measures to be sustainable. Human nature […]
RAISE Family Caregiving Advisory Council: An Open Letter
Dear RAISE Family Caregiving Advisory Council You are the Dream Team of family caregiving innovators, the all-stars of our fiercest advocates. Since President Trump signed the RAISE Family Caregivers Act in January 2018, mandating the creation of an Advisory Council to devise a national strategy for supporting family caregivers, we’ve been awaiting your anointment […]
Family-Oriented, Not Just Family-Friendly
Recently, the Children’s Hospital Corporation in Massachusetts completed a study examining family-centered hospital rounds for doctors and nurses. Rounds are daily meetings when the care team reviews patient progress and creates a plan for the day. During rounds, staff may use confusing medical terms and neglect family input and questions. In response, the research team […]
Expanding access to care for perinatal mood challenges: 4 steps in the right direction
“I can’t sleep when my baby sleeps, I’m too worried about every little thing. Why didn’t anyone tell me it would be like this? I thought I could do this but now I am not sure at all.” “I’m so angry and irritable that my family and friends are losing patience with me. They pushed […]
The Yin and Yang of Doing and Being this Summer
Nothing like waiting until the very last minute for inspiration! The last few weeks I have been mulling over topics for this month’s post. Nothing had really stuck until I was out on a hike this morning with a friend. He was talking about how after a slow day at his job he often has […]
Research Review: The Latest and Greatest
Welcome to the JUNE 2019 research review, where I review some of the latest research findings and developments in the field of integrated behavioral health. There are two trends I am seeing in the literature that comes to my email inbox. First, researchers are evaluating the impact of integration on patient populations with complex health […]
Broadening the Scope of Patient-Centric Docs
Physician greets older male patient. Physician greets patient’s adult daughter. Physician asks about patient’s conditions. Physician asks for daughter’s input. Physician does physical examination. Physician makes recommendations and writes scripts. Physician asks patient and daughter if they have questions. A very normal-sounding outpatient medical visit, right? What could possibly be wrong with this picture? For […]
Is Yours a Learning Clinic?
In 2018, I had a sweet setup for my work commute. My friend, who also worked downtown, would pick me up at my house, use the carpool lane on the highway, and drop me off in front of my office building. When I offered to pay for gas, he refused me. “Matt, I am actually […]
Medication for Opioid Use Disorder in Primary Care: 7 Myths Dispelled
With over 450 patients on Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) engaged in our primary care-based programs we have learned a thing or two about how to do this work in primary care. We are fiercely passionate about this work and have been leading voices in the design of programs that promote health and wellbeing […]
Beyond the elevator pitch: shifting from fact-sharing to storytelling to promote integration
I think about elevator pitches a fair amount, maybe more than would be considered healthy. I can’t help it. Every time I think I have finally explained the role of the mental health provider on the health care team to anyone who could possibly care, another person says, “I guess I still don’t really understand […]
In Search of the Briefest Family Caregiver Eval
As befits his majestic name, Brian Duke threw down the gauntlet. “If you really want to help health systems do a better job of supporting family caregivers,” said the former Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Aging and the current System Director of Senior Services for Main Line Health in suburban Philadelphia, “then you better […]
The Art and Science of Measuring Integration
What do the US, Myanmar, and Liberia all have in common? They are the only countries in the world who do not commonly use the metric system of measurement. Instead of kilos, liters, and meters, we measure in pounds, gallons, and yards (i.e., the English system). No big deal, right? Well, consider that in May 1999 […]
Research Review: The Latest and Greatest
Welcome to the March 2019 research review, where I review some of the latest research findings and developments in the field of integrated behavioral health. Per usual, I include links to the articles in the headings and then snippets from the abstract below the heading. As integration becomes more of the norm and less the […]
How Far Can Integration Go?
I walk through an empty cobblestone plaza, once bustling with vendors, the infectious smell of al pastor tacos, and fresh leather sandals. This plaza has been vacant since the period of time in the early 2000s when Tijuana became violent, even dangerous, and Americans didn’t visit. I climb the snaking stairwells and tunnels leading me across […]