Family functioning is one way to measure how a family meets its physical and psychological needs; in other words, it quantifies the family’s emotional environment1,2. Family functioning has been found to be associated with chronic physical and mental illness in children3–6; however, family functioning is not consistently measured in clinical health care settings or large […]
2018 Saturday Morning Plenary Session “Battling Bias: Reforming Primary Care to Reduce Disparities”
The Plenary Session opened with the presentation of the 2018 Don Bloch award to John Rolland, a psychiatrist and creator of the Families, Systems, and Illness model. John is a Wingspread Conference legacy member and prolific writer on family-oriented approaches to healthcare. He and his lovely wife Froma Walsh are the co-founders and co-directors of […]
2018 Opening Plenary Session “Saving Lives: Guidance from the Science of Teamwork”
The opening plenary session for the 2018 CFHA Annual Conference in Rochester, New York was led by internationally-renown expert on teamwork, Eduardo Salas from Rice University. His presentation was a fire hydrant of incredible information on the science of teamwork and included insightful advice on how to help a team of experts become an expert […]
Welcome to the 2018 CFHA Annual Conference in Rochester, NY!
Lauren and I both love CFHA, and attending the annual conference is one of our favorite things to do each year. We are so excited to welcome you to our city! We believe this conference will be one of the best, between the content highlighting CFHA’s history (due to it being our 20th conference) as […]
A New Era for the CFHA Blog
Next year will be the 10th anniversary of CFHA blogging! During the past several years, nearly 600 posts have graced the digital face of our organization with many voices and viewpoints. The blogs have been a source of information and inspiration for our members as they work to advance the field of collaboration and integration […]
Changing State Medicaid Policy: Five Questions with Cheri Rinehart
Policy change can be hard, slow, and seem daunting. This is especially true at the federal level, but many of the important changes happen at the more accessible state and local levels. For example, Pennsylvania leaders recently helped to change state Medicaid policy to allow licensed professional counselors (LPCs) and licensed marriage and family therapists […]
Your Guide to the Latest Research in Integrated Care
There is so much good research coming out in the field of integrated care. Trying to keep up with all the new developments can feel like drinking from a fire hydrant. So, to save you time and keep you from overhydrating, your friendly neighborhood blog editor is here to separate the wheat from the chaff. […]
When life hands you lemons… go fishing!?
A prescriber-patient miscommunication causes an adverse drug interaction, the nurse administers the wrong immunization to the patient, or the EMR system goes down five times a day. When adverse events like these occur, it might feel like it’s time for a fishing vacation, but what these events really call for is a root cause analysis […]
Quality improvement in primary care: A patient-centered strategy
This post is a two-part series on quality improvement. Check back later this month for the second part. Quality Improvement in Primary Care The use of quality improvement is not a new concept to the medical field as quality improvement teams are often routine in health system settings. Primary care, however, appears to have a […]
The Cost Effectiveness of Embedding a Behavioral Health Clinician
When I first began working as a psychologist in primary care, I was embedded in a busy, 14-provider primary care practice in Kansas City with a 35,000 member panel. I developed a canned speech to explain to friends and family exactly what my new job entailed. My explanation was met with confusion, enthusiasm and doubt […]
PCBH Part 3: Discussion of a Recent Study Involving the PCBH Model and Larger Implications
This is the third in a three-part series on PCBH research. Click here for part 1 and part 2. Research exploring the Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) model has been increasing in the literature. However, the body of work on this specific model of integrated care is still being built, and many unanswered questions remain. […]
PCBH Research Part 2: Does Primary Care Behavioral Health Improve Patient Outcomes?
This piece is the second in a series of posts highlight research on the Primary Care Behavioral Health model. Click here for the first post. Why and how did we do this review? My colleagues and I at the VA Center for Integrated Healthcare recently published a systematic review to assess the research evidence on […]
PCBH Research Part 1: A Pilot Study Across the U.S. Air Force
The Department of Defense (DoD) was one of the original adopters of the Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) model. Over 20 years ago, the United States Air Force (USAF) piloted its “Behavioral Health Optimization Program” or BHOP at a single Air Force Base. Since 1997, the program has expanded across 72 Air Force facilities and […]
Taking the Hamster off the Wheel: How My BFEF Experience Helped Me Get My Feet Back on the Ground
At the beginning of my year in the Behavioral Science/Family Systems’ Educator Fellowship (BFEF), I had a gut feeling that I was “hitting the wall.” The burnout week had arrived. This occurred both in my personal and professional life. When I started my job 4 years ago, I hit the ground running and tried to […]
The Pre-Rehab Checklist: How to Get the Most Out of Your Recovery
In the United States right now, there are over 14,500 rehabilitation centers for people recovering from drugs and alcohol. These centers offer a range of treatment options, including detox and inpatient or outpatient rehab. With outpatient rehab, addiction specialists and nurse practitioners visit people in their homes, allowing them to continue with their normal routine […]
Complex Patients: Positioning Teams for Best Outcomes
Patients living today with both complex medical and behavioral health problems are expected to die 25 years earlier than the general population.1 These patients have more medical problems than the general population and a disease burden that increases as behavioral health problems increase. Most patients with behavioral health problems are seen in non-psychiatric medical […]
Financing the Primary Care Behavioral Health Model: Q&A with Dennis Freeman
It’s no secret that the US health care system is expensive and under significant change these days. One part of the system that is receiving a lot of attention in primary care. The evidence suggests that primary care is an excellent investment for payers who want better health outcomes; however, recent data shows that payers […]
Cultural Considerations for Behavioral Health Providers in Primary Care
Healthy People 2020 is a multi-year, multi-stakeholder effort by the US government to address social determinants of health and disparities. This vision for a healthier country includes specific actions that the United States must take to achieve better health by the year 2020. Some of the goals include: Attain high-quality, longer lives free of preventable […]