Care Coordination: What is it and how does it help?
You may or may not have heard of Care Coordination in healthcare. This post will provide an overview of what it is and how it may help you, as a patient, get important quality care. The basic premise underlying Care Coordination is that a holistic approach to a patient’s health and treatment is best served by having physicians, nurses, and other health care providers sharing patient information and goals so that all providers are coordinating their efforts to promote a patient’s well-being. This model is foundational to the patient-centered medical home approach, where coordinated, accessible, and comprehensive care improves outcomes and reduces hospital readmissions. It is helpful for those managing chronic diseases, navigating mental health care, or seeking support from multiple healthcare professionals. It ensures your care is efficient, connected, and focused on improving both physical and psychological health.
What does this mean in reality?
Information is one of the keys to the success of this approach. In today's digital age, electronic health records (EHRs) have become instrumental in enabling efficient care coordination. As a patient, you provide information to each provider who supports you. Instead of having this information siloed by each of the professionals who provide you services, this information is shared so everyone on the patient’s care team has the same information. Your medical and psychological history, medications, and agreed upon treatment plans (if needed) are all shared in a single electronic space. This is vital in managing chronic diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), where consistency in care is essential across various providers. This means that when visiting a provider or making care decisions, a holistic and tailored approach can be taken. This results in more efficient delivery of services and better patient care outcomes.
The coordination of care is extremely important in getting the best services for you, the patient, as well as the most efficient and targeted care by physicians and other health care entities. This is particularly true when there are either transitions between specialized health support ( i.e. consulting with a specialist such as a cardiologist, neurologist, or rehabilitation expert for a specific treatment) and transitions over time necessitating a change in care (i.e. attending to increasing care needs based on aging or disease progression). Such transitions often require strict compliance with medical protocols, which are better managed through collaborative planning and communication. With coordination, providers know what others who are giving support are doing, what tests they may be ordering, and results. This collaborative model fosters better continuity of care, especially between primary care providers and specialists. Coordination of care also has a benefit on the patient side. With all of the information being coordinated by providers, the patient will have access to all parts of his or her profile in one place. Without this coordination the patient may find themselves bouncing from one caregiver to the next, trying to reconcile the different pieces of their health care puzzle. This might result in less efficient care with less effective results. Another significant benefit of care coordination is in emergency department visits, where immediate access to patient history can significantly improve response times and reduce unnecessary testing. Another patient benefit is that input on course of treatment and care can be shared throughout a care network. All of the team will then be on the same page as they provide their own brand of support. For example, in a family dealing with ongoing issues such as mental health disorders or relationship stress, a coordinated effort between therapists, counselors, and physicians can make all the difference.
Coordinated care can extend beyond health care providers to community support programs, education programs, and financial services. Today we know that a patient may have interrelated medical, social, behavioral, and psychological needs. In such cases, support often involves mental health professionals like counselors, social workers, and therapists. Gaps in care might occur if patient care is not coordinated. This is true in populations affected by poverty, trauma, or mental illness, where care often involves navigating complex systems. When interventions are aligned with a patient’s overall healthcare plan, they become more effective. Care coordination is also essential for caregivers of patients with chronic illnesses or aging-related conditions. Caregivers benefit from being included in the conversation, especially when it comes to tracking medications, managing appointments, and understanding therapy recommendations.
How is this coordinated care reflected in therapy practices?
Again, we know that mental and physical health concerns are often interrelated. For example, suffering from illness may result in depression or anxiety. Therapy, when integrated with primary care, helps address these emotional effects while maintaining compliance with overall health goals. Treatment coordinated between physicians, therapists, and psychologists may enhance a wellness trajectory. Therapists who are involved in a coordinated system are better equipped to conduct systematic reviews of progress and adapt therapy goals. The benefits of individual therapy become more profound when there's alignment with physical health care strategies. Medications can also have side effects, and therapists who are aware of a patient’s treatment may then have greater insight on how to best support their clients. In addition a mental health challenge may impact a physical symptom. Clients who are working through depression may present with physical ailments. With a coordinated care approach, a therapist would be able to see treatment was underway and be able to treat the patient holistically instead of just placing a bandaid on symptoms.
Coordinated Care Matters in My Practice
My clients are able to rely on a more comprehensive approach to their well-being as I work with other professionals to give personalized and holistic support. This is particularly valuable in therapy settings, where stress may overlap with medical issues such as treatments or chronic illness. If this is an approach that resonates with you, I’d be happy to talk about how my work would benefit you. Please reach out. I’d love to talk.