Integrated health care (IHC) — the coordination of primary/physical and behavioral health care — is widely regarded as best practice and as essential to achieving the triple aim of patient experience of care, population health and decreased cost. In spite of substantial evidence for the efficacy of integrated health care, significant barriers to its implementation exist. Foremost among these are financing and preparation of providers to practice in IHC settings.
Regarding financing, traditional fee-for-service reimbursement is generally not conducive to the provision of the team-based care required for IHC. In addition, funding streams for mental health, substance use and other health issues are rarely integrated. Regarding provider preparation, traditional training programs for both medical and behavioral health professionals do not generally prepare providers to practice as part of a multidisciplinary team. This event launched a major collaborative initiative to develop and implement consensus recommendations to improve both financing and provider preparation for IHC in Texas.
This event was sponsored by the Baker Institute Center for Health and Biosciences in conjunction with Mental Health America of Greater Houston. A video recording of the event can be viewed at the bottom of this page.
AGENDA
8:30 am – Registration and continental breakfast
9:00 am – Welcoming remarks
Vivian Ho, PhD
James A. Baker III Chair in Health Economics
Director, Center for Health and Biosciences
Baker Institute for Public Policy
9:15 am – Panel Discussion
Moderator
President and Chief Executive Officer, Episcopal Health Foundation
Nonresident Fellow in Health Policy, Baker Institute for Public Policy
Panelists
David S. Buck, MD, MPH
Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine
President, Healthcare for the Homeless – Houston
Octavio N. Martinez Jr., MD, MPH, MBA, FAPA
Executive Director, Hogg Foundation for Mental Health
Kenneth Minkoff, MD
Director of Systems Integration, The Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute
McClain Sampson, PhD
Assistant Professor, University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work
Steven B. Schnee, PhD
Executive Director, MHMRA of Harris County
Jair C. Soares, MD, PhD
Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Medical School
10:45 am – Break
11:00 am – Introduction to the IHC Systems-Change Initiative