5 minute read Several years ago, I did an audit of PHQ-9 scores in our clinic and noticed that the total scores did not always match the individual item scores. Nurse, I need a calculator, stat. At the time, my team took a universal, paper-based screening approach for depression: patient answers questions on a clipboard; […]
5 Minute Read There is a necessary connection between our work in integrating behavioral health and medicine and the work of rooting out racism in health care. That connection lies at the root of what those of us who call ourselves champions of integrated care are doing: we are reforming a fragmented and too-often ineffective […]
2 minute read Older adults have been among those most impacted by the current pandemic, both physically and emotionally. In addition to advancing age, many such individuals suffer from chronic diseases that increase risk for unfavorable health outcomes should they contract COVID-19. Although self-isolation is keeping them healthy, many find quality of life to be […]
3 Minute Read I’ve been tempted to throw my laptop/ iPhone across the room in recent weeks. This coronavirus thing and the political and economic chaos it has wrought, not to mention the morbidity and mortality that accompanies it have pushed me to the brink. And many healthcare professionals have intimated to me that they […]
3 minute read The current pandemic has generated ongoing conversations on the topic of self-care, particularly as it relates to frontline workers who are experiencing unprecedented levels of burnout. In a recent study at Houston Methodist Hospital, researchers determined that working longer shifts, experiencing more loss of life, PPE supply shortages and fears of infecting […]
4 minute read To us nervous old guys, this pandemic is about risk and fear. I take early morning walks in my leafy hometown of Swarthmore, PA when the sun is still well below the treetops to avoid social contact and possibly contracting infection. But twice in recent weeks, I’ve turned a corner and run […]
4 minute read As we continue to move through historic change in our healthcare and criminal justice systems, the research on integration seems to have slowed down a bit. That said, we still have some important developments helping to move the field of integrated care forward. As always, I collect and review the latest research […]
12 minute read The COVID-19 pandemic, for all of the hardship and loss it has heaped upon the US healthcare system, has initiated a period of unparalleled innovation as well. A great deal of that innovation has been due to the courage and dedication of the physicians, nurses, and administrators on the front lines. Convention […]
3 minute read The COVID-19 pandemic has spawned two healthcare crises: the first focused on containing the disease’s widening footprint, and the second, a behavioral health pandemic created by stress, anxiety and social isolation. Addressing both of these issues requires a population health approach. As such, there is much to be learned from an innovative […]
2 Minute Read: It seems as if 2020 is the year of perpetual transition as we adjust and learn, adjust and learn. Our last few weeks as a membership has been spent thinking about returning to in-person visits (or not) and concurrently thinking about how our personal lives mirror this transition as states “re-open.” Below […]
5 minute read Like many of you, my work as a BHC moved abruptly to 100% phone and video work in mid-March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Personally, there have been some downsides to this. I miss seeing patients in the privacy of an exam room or my office and that irreplaceable connection that […]
3 Minute Read CFHA members have worked hard in the last 9 weeks responding to the various challenges posed by the pandemic. These challenges are not going away, however, a great deal of progress has been made in adapting clinical delivery to telehealth, figuring out the economics of all of this and working on the […]
When my alarm goes off at six AM, I begin my day following the same routine I created the first week of quarantine with the intention of bringing structure to my days. But just like yesterday and the day before, my energy level is not there, my body feels tired, and honestly, I really do […]
This blog is a follow-up to a recent panel presentation co-sponsored by Comagine, The Institute for Primary Care Behavioral Health and the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association. The chat for the presentation is here. Video is here or just scroll down. What started out as deep consternation as the COVID pandemic hit in March quickly turned […]
5 minute read The initial panic about the coronavirus has long passed. Sadness and grief from Covid losses is settling in on clinical settings, including behavioral health. In my small psychotherapy practice, I’ve heard about one client tragedy after another: The adult daughter who feels stricken because hospital policy wouldn’t allow her to be at […]
The realities of the pandemic are settling in among our membership and more of our conversation is turning to the long-term implications. We are concerned about our fellow healthcare providers, our patients and the economic realities that healthcare is facing along with the rest of the world. At the same time there is a sense […]
3 minute read In the wake of the current pandemic, the psychological benefits of physical activity may outweigh the physiological ones. It is one of the best ways to combat the effects of social isolation, even when a person exercises alone. Physical activity’s ability to combat stress and depression, improve self-esteem and body image are […]
Diana and her mother, Dorothy, have had a tumultuous relationship over the past three years. Dorothy (82) has refused to go into an assisted living facility against the wishes of her three daughters. Diana is the only child that lives in town and can care for her mother. During the COVID-19 situation, Dorothy has become […]
