Integrating Behavioral Health & Primary Care

 

Although the need to integrate Behavioral and Primary care is well documented and agreed upon nationally, many organizations are at a loss regarding how, where and when to begin their integration efforts. There are many obvious barriers to integration. Funding, clinical processes, facilities, are among the challenges.  However, there have been successful approaches to these issues developed.  In our experience coaching the Michigan Integrated Health Learning Community and The National Council for Behavioral Health’s Integrated Care Learning Community, we, at PMP have observed that the primary barrier is the lack of experience by organizational leaders in the job of creating new business models and leading and managing change.  The practices and structures of the past that have become so accepted are insufficient for this endeavor.  When the current budget pressures and the whirlwind of daily operations are added to the mix, Integration can seem an impossible task.  If this integration is to be effective, our leaders must become adept at inspiring people within their organizations and in partner organizations to passionately commit, evoke promises from people to take action and hold them accountable for accomplishing those actions, and create an environment where people are nurtured and supported, learning as they do, rather than relying on the tried and true. There is no cookie cutter for integrating services.

PMP has a methodical, systematic program that unfolds over several months to support the development of a business culture that can achieve integration and unify the team.  We guarantee it.