Integrated Care - Weber/Lewis

Question 1

What is the purpose of integrated care?

Answer 1

Provide a comprehensive and systemic interpretation of the impact of biological, psychological, and social influences on individual, couple, and family systems.

Collect biopsychosocial information from relevant systems to effectively assess and treat.

Question 2

What are the critical components of an integrated care team?

Answer 2

• IntegratED care => Diverse practitioners working together
• Medical Family Therapy =>The integration of family therapy into behavioral medicine and biomedicine creating an integrated, team-based health care delivery system.
• Health Psychology => how psychological, behavioral, and cultural factors contribute to physical health and illness.

Question 3

How do you evaluate the level of collaboration of an integrated care team?

Answer 3

Assess Key Ingredients to Effective Collaboration:

• Relationship
• Common purpose
• Paradigm
• Communication
• Location of services
• Business arrangement

Question 4

Why integrate behavioral and physical care services?

Answer 4

1) Compromised physical health is associated with behavioral health problems
Treatments, medical system => Depression

2) Compromised behavioral health may lead to physical health problems

3) Stigma of behavioral health services
Mental health services underutilized

4) Compartmentalized understanding of health
Lack of training in and with other health providers

Question 5

What are the barriers to effective collaboration?

Answer 5

1) Disciplinary centrism: viewing one’s own discipline as superior and more relevant.
- Desire to focus on own clinical decisions

2) Differences between disciplines: Different types of information are emphasized for clinical problem solving.
- Models of practice and team approaches to practice differ between professions (Medical: Biomedical; Behavioral: BPSS)
- Team members have different outcome goals

3) Lack of effective collaboration: Common goals and philosophies not clearly identified
- Professionals are trained to think independently
- Interdisciplinary approach not often taught in professional programs
- Professionals are socialized to the norms of their profession and this is isolated from other professions

Question 6

What are several basic skills for assessment and intervention of integrated care teams?

Answer 6

1) ASK QUESTIONS!
2) Assess Core components of integrated care:
- Biopsychosocial Spiritual Model (The term biopsychosocial communicates the idea that all problems are at once biological, psychological, and social. Works from a systems model and encourages collaboration between health professionals.)
- Collaboration (Flattened hierarchy, mutual respect)

-Three World View (Clinical/Operational/Financial =>All three of the worlds must work together to ensure success.
If an action fails to meet the requirements of one of the worlds, it will ultimately fail in all three.
If an action fails clinically, it fails – poor quality.
If it fails operationally, it fails – poor service, disappointment, waste.
If it fails financially, it fails – lose money, go out of business)