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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
One of the first things I noticed when starting out as a BHC in an obstetrics/gynecology clinic was that every template or model for integrated care focused on primary care as the setting for behavioral health integration.
Around the long mahogany board room table, the 40 middle-age nurse and social work care managers of this large Medicare ACO regarded me with a mixture of inquisitive and impassive looks. I was supposed to deliver the good news on how strategies for supporting family caregivers are becoming more sophisticated. I started off by asking […]
The title of this post is a terrible pick-up line, but it reflects my recent musings on how we identify patients in primary care who may benefit from behavioral health services. Health screening is standard practice in primary care. We screen for physical health, mental health, substance use, health behaviors, family functioning, social determinants of […]
This year is almost over, a signal it is time to highlight all the great blog posts published in 2018. We have terrific writers in the CFHA community who collectively represent unequaled experience and thinking in the field right now. Catherine Van Fossen et al wrote about a new tool that measures family functioning. They […]
Starting and sustaining a movement in healthcare is tough business, unless there is a plan and resources for dissemination. The movement to integrate behavioral health services into primary care began in diverse places, but now appears to have serious momentum. The challenges facing integration today are many and include the following big two: workforce development […]
During the 24 years I worked as a psychologist in family medicine, I heard many complaints about patients’ family members gumming up the healthcare system in various ways. For instance: “My patient’s wife keeps asking me to do things I can’t do—like arrange for her husband to live elsewhere—and taking up my time with frequent […]
Welcome to the November Research Report. This is the post where I, your friendly neighborhood blog editor, save you time and keep you informed of the latest and greatest in integrated care research. The studies you see below represent some of the best research coming out. I organized them into categories for easier reading […]
I vividly remember my first meeting with the OB-Gyn and maternal-fetal medicine providers in the early weeks of my role as a behavioral health consultant for a group of women’s health clinics. I wore my favorite shirt. I got up earlier than seemed reasonable (who knew how much doctors love 7 am meetings?). I brought […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
