Among the things I have enjoyed most during my three decades as a healthcare executive and consultant has been the past five years serving as a senior leader with the Practice Change Leaders for Aging and Health (“PCL”) program. Funded by The John A. Hartford Foundation Inc. and The Atlantic Philanthropies, this program’s singular purpose is “to develop, support and...
Despite multiple attempts to legislate “parity” between behavioral health and medical benefits, until recently we have been largely unsuccessful in fully integrating the two disciplines. Our fragmented networks of care, the medical orientation benefit plans and even the social stigma associated with behavioral health diagnoses have contributed barriers to this lack of care integration.
A frequent outgrowth of leadership efforts to create a new strategic plan is the desire to consider strategic partnerships as an attractive road to long-term sustainability and growth. I have seen this temptation repeatedly surface when called upon to advise boards and/or senior management of healthcare organizations.
Once considered the “ugly duckling” of healthcare, behavioral health is finally beginning to gain proper recognition for the significant role it plays in a patient’s overall health. From the cognitive deficiencies caused by dementia and Alzheimer’s to the direct physical complications of substance abuse and addiction, health plan executives, clinicians and payers are finally focusing attention on the linkage.
SHG’s Dennis Eder focuses on five elements of the ACA that shift the landscape and build economic and quality of care opportunities. 2013 is a critical year for health care executives as they plan for full implementation of the Affordable Care Act.