The Convergence of Health and Human Services
Health and human service organizations are beginning to understand why working together is so important. By bridging the gaps of siloed care through whole person care, these organizations can successfully accomplish the “triple aim”: improving the patient experience, improving health outcomes, and reducing the cost of healthcare.
The State of Traditional Healthcare
Healthcare is one of the most important–and complicated–parts of life. Much of the challenge is that care systems are often siloed away from each other, making it difficult to coordinate treatments and make sense of medical advice. This creates a landscape of fragmented care.
Unfortunately, the burden of siloed care most often falls on the underprivileged. Those without the resources to learn the health system and coordinate their own care are left on their own. As the healthcare industry is subject to market forces, it prioritizes patients who are able to afford care and leaves out those who likely need it most.
Traditional care typically looks at diagnosis and treatment without considering the outside factors that may be influencing health outcomes. These outside factors–called social determinants of health–are a critical piece in bridging these silos of healthcare. By looking at these determinants, health and human service providers can create solutions that not only expand the reach of care but also offer help to those who otherwise cannot access it.
Disrupting the Status Quo
While siloed, diagnostic-focused care has long been the tradition, new approaches are beginning to gain more credence. One such approach is that of whole person care, combining the efforts of health and human services to offer holistic treatment.
Whole person care is based on the idea that health is more than just going to the doctor. Instead, it includes mental and behavioral health, social services, and other non-primary care factors. In doing so, the whole person is addressed, which in turn helps improve overall health outcomes.
As more health and human services catch on to whole person care, the more that the status quo is challenged. Communities are starting to take advantage of the untapped potential in addressing human service needs and healthcare needs together.
Accomplishing the Triple Aim
What exactly are the benefits of implementing whole person care?
Programs that tap into whole person care through coordination with other health and human services have demonstrated success in improving health outcomes. By considering how to address adverse social determinants of health through whole person care, these programs and initiatives have successfully brought more complete care to their patients.
Health outcomes are not the only benefit of whole person care, however. Another common effect for organizations is that they are also able to reduce costs. In fact, health and human service organizations are able to achieve what is called the “triple aim”. Specifically, the triple aim involves reaching three distinct goals:
- Improve the Patient Experience
- Improve Health Outcomes
- Reduce the Cost of Healthcare
Traditionally, it was thought that the triple aim was nearly impossible to achieve for health and human service organizations. While one or two goals was typically achievable, all three seemed too elusive. However, studies show that organizations utilizing whole person care have consistently reached all three outcomes of the triple aim.
Whole Person Care in Practice
Many organizations have already been able to capitalize on whole person care through case management. ClientTrack™ is the industry-leading platform for health and human services to bridge the gap between siloed care and reach the triple aim. Safe Horizon, Bridges from School to Work, and Project Angel Heart are all health and human service organizations who have shared their success stories with using whole person care through ClientTrack.
To learn more about how ClientTrack can help your organization–or to read our full report on the Convergence of Health and Human Services–reach out to our team today.
