For Successful ‘Integration’, It Takes Interoperability & Patience

There was much discussion this week at The 2018 OPEN MINDS Executive Leadership Retreat about the meaning of the word "integration" and the impact of integration on the health and human service organizations in terms of both finances and culture. But integration has different meanings to different stakeholders in the field. The consumer perspective, the provider organization perspective, and the health plan perspective are all quite different.

For many provider organization executives, integration means integrated service delivery and the clinical practices necessary to deliver physical and behavioral health services at the same place, at the same time. But the health . . .