This has been a month with lots of news about the push to whole person care models and integrated delivery systems. Banner Health and the Integrated Health Network of Southern Arizona just released an analysis of their 2023 performance—reducing the heath plan’s medical loss ratio by 12.1% (see ‘Integrated Health Network Of Southern Arizona And Banner – University Family Care Achieve 12.1% Reduction In 2023 Medical Loss Ratio’).
New research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found that integrated approaches have been documented to be more effective for smoking cessation. In their study, consumers who smoke were twice as likely to quit smoking with an integrated care model that included both medication and intensive counseling (see ‘Chances Of Quitting Smoking Improve With Integrated Care’ and ‘Smoking Cessation Interventions In The Lung Cancer Screening Setting: A Randomized Clinical Trial’).
And there was the announcement of a new integrated health program for housing insecure populations in Hawaii. The program—a collaboration between ‘Ohana Health Plan and Hope Services Hawaii—provides integrated health care and case management for consumers with high-acuity conditions who are also experiencing homelessness (see ‘Ohana Health Plan And Hope Services Hawaii Launch Residential Program For Integrated Clinical Care’).
Even the World Health Organization (WHO) is adding integrated care to its list of evidence-based recommendations. The WHO Guidelines on Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) propose an approach to support the physical and mental capacities of older people that includes improving mobility, maintaining sensory capacity, preventing cognitive impairment, and promoting well-being (see ‘Integrated Care For Older People: Guidelines On Community-Level Interventions To Manage Declines In Intrinsic Capacity’).
While there are many types of approaches to whole person care for many populations and there are 80+ types of integrated care delivery systems (for more on getting the right “formula” for integrated care, see ‘The Integration Checklist’), the evaluation of integrated approaches continues. We had a first-hand look at organizations leading innovative approaches to integrated care last month in Clearwater Beach. With our educational partner, Alera Health, we convened for The 2025 OPEN MINDS Whole Person Care Summit.
If you missed the summit, check out the audio or video recordings of the sessions and download the corresponding presentation decks here on ONEcare Population Health Academy.
Innovations & Sustainability In Integrated Care: The Denova Collaborative Health Case Study Attendees heard from Graham Johnson, MAcc, CPA, Chief Executive Officer, George Orras, Ph.D., LCSW, MBA, Chief Clinical Officer, and Angela Roumain, RN, MPH of Denova Collaborative Health, LLC, who spoke on Denova’s successful formula for holistic “integrated collaborative care,” how whole person care financing models support clinical quality, care management, and market expansion, and about Denova’s suite of trademarked health assessment tools for monitoring satisfaction and symptom management.
Dismantling Silos: An I/DD Non-Profits Journey In Fostering A Person-Centered Approach For Achieving Integrated Care Attendees heard from Jennifer Riha, Chief Strategy Officer and Katie Babcock, MHA, Director Of Healthcare Operations of I Am Boundless. They guided attendees through understanding the importance of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in measuring the success of integrated care, recognizing the value of consumer choice in shaping personalized care plans and exploring the benefits of collaborative care models that bring together diverse disciplines under one roof.
Launching Whole Person Care Programs Through Organizational Partnerships: How A Virginia Non-Profit Innovatively Financed New Integrated Service Program Attendees heard from Brandie D. Williams, M.Ed, Ed.S, Deputy Executive Director, Rappahannock Area Community Services Board, as she discussed the common strategies for covering start-up and ongoing costs of delivering integrated care, how to build value-based payer partnerships to expand your whole person care programs, and how to develop a strategic re-investment model for growing services over time.
So You Want To Become A FQHC?—The Cherokee Health Systems & Community Health Network Case Studies Parinda Khatri, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Cherokee Health Systems, and Penny Pabst, M.Ed., OHCC, Chief Administration Officer of Community Health Network, explored the fundamental criteria and regulatory requirements for obtaining FQHC or FQHC Look-alike status.
From CIN To Integrated System Of Care (ISC): Leveraging The Power Of The Network To Optimize Quality & Performance In Value-Based Contracts Jaimica Wilkins, MBA, CPHQ, ICP, CLSSYB, Vice President Of Quality and Deb Aldridge, Senior Vice President Of Network Options at Alera Health discussed how to pinpoint critical quality and cost measures within value-based contracts and prioritize initiatives to maximize their impact.