Care coordination

Streamline’s Year In Review: 2019’s Key Industry Changes

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The healthcare industry has experienced dynamic changes in 2019, resulting in many advances for running a practice or facility with efficiency and enhanced tools for communication. From changes in legislation to key trends, Streamline Healthcare Solutions (Streamline) has explored the major breakthroughs and movements to offer a comprehensive look at the year in review. Legislation … Read more

Better Technology Access for a Better Tomorrow

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With a rapidly growing need for better mental health care, easy accessibility for treatment sources is vital. Due to technology advances, there are more possibilities than ever to find client care in a reliable, secure way. According to a 2017 report published by Mental Health America, although more than 43 million Americans have a mental health condition, many of those individuals lack access to healthcare. As a growing epidemic that affects a vast number of people globally, innovative solutions are being developed and utilized to change the landscape of mental health care for the better.

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The Growing Need for More CCBHCs and Their Uncertain Future

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CCBHCs are responsible for directly providing (or contracting with partner organizations to provide) nine required types of services, with an emphasis on the provision of 24-hour crisis care, utilization of evidence-based practices, care coordination, and integration with physical health care. In return for providing these services, they receive an enhanced Medicaid reimbursement rate based on their cost of care. But, the time limit on this healthcare experiment is coming to a close. Will the progress made by these clinics be enough to convince Congress to extend funding for the program? The question should be answered soon.

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Improve Care Coordination with Healthcare Integration

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Improve Care Coordination with Healthcare Integration

When people are seeking medical care, no matter what their symptoms, they tend to start in the same place, their primary care physician. But often, due to the nature of their illness, or shame about talking about mental illness, they do not receive all the treatment they need from their primary care provider. According to the American Psychiatric Association, many clients need behavioral care specialists. “As many as 40% of all patients seen in primary care settings have a mental illness…” In many situations, mental illness is not the primary reason for the visit. If not addressed or realized by their primary care physician, symptoms can progress and get worse requiring additional services and more intensive levels of care.

While the primary care physician first sees an individual, learns their history, and gathers important information on his or her medical background, at times the clinician is not able to provide comprehensive treatment, due to a lack of resources, time, or simply because the treatment the client needs is not their specialty. Their client is often referred to another practice for treatment, which means it is critical that all health information is shared between providers, as missing data could result in a lapse in care. For clients who need both primary and behavioral healthcare, coordinating these efforts under one umbrella can vastly improve overall client care.

There are a variety of ways to achieve this goal. In this blog, we share a few key aspects of providing clients with integrated health care.

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Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics Will Improve Overall Health for Medicaid & Medicare Recipients

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As the idea of Certified Community Behavioral Healthcare Clinics (CCBHC) matures, we will see leading organizations moving toward this type of structure. This type of client-focused attention and coordination will improve the overall health of the Medicaid/Medicare population by integrating primary care, establishing evidence-based practices, and actively coordinating services outside of their four walls.