What is Integrative Care?
Introduction
The name of our collective may give certain people an implicit association of what we do - others may not understand the essence of what integrative care really means. According to an Article by the American Psychological Association, Integrated Health Care refers to an approach that involves a high degree of collaboration and communication amongst health professionals.
Health Care Professionals in Collaboration
Models of Integrative Care
A popular way to apply this Integrative Care methodology within more traditional healthcare systems is the “Collaborative Care Model”. The Collaborative Care Model is based on peer-reviewed research. In this model, a Primary Care Provider (PCP) is the team leader, while other professionals aid in the care of the patient, including Behavioral Health Care Managers, Psychiatrists and other licensed Mental Health Care Professionals.
According to this article on Psychiatry.org, the Collaborative Care Model has 5 essential elements: Patient-Centered Team Care, Population-Based Care, Measurement Based Treatment to Target, Evidenced-Based Care, and Accountable Care.
A review of a 2009 Integrative Medicine summit discussed multiple other models of integrative care. They discussed integrative care as a holistic approach to health that combines conventional medicine with alternative therapies, focusing on patient-centeredness, the establishment of strong patient-provider relationships, and the integration of behavioral and social elements into care.
In reviewing these, we can see some core common threads. Essentially, it boils down to professionals collaborating to achieve the best outcomes for the patients of the providers.
A Decentralized Model of Integrative Care
In recent years, the word “decentralization” has picked up steam, as the conversations around cryptocurrencies have become increasingly at the forefront of modern society. Decentralization refers to a process by which activities of an organization are distributed away from a central decision-making entity.
The Integrative Care Collective (ICC) is a new front-runner in decentralizing Integrative Care. We seek to empower Mental Health Professionals to be in charge of their own practices, while still enjoying the benefits of being on a collaborative team. This poses several key benefits: the providers get to be in charge of their own decision making, keep the maximum revenue, and control their time without a hierarchical decision-making entity controlling how these providers practice. Thus, providers voluntarily opt-in to the collective and pay nominal membership dues to enjoy the benefits that being a part of the collective offers.
The Integrative Care Collective hosts a weekly Collaborative Case Consultation meeting that is aimed at allowing providers to bring cases to a diverse group of practitioners. The members of the collective include licensed therapists, nutrition therapists, coaches, nurse practitioners, nurse coaches, Chinese medicine practitioners, and more. Thus, multiple perspectives on similar issues are brought to the table, and providers seeking advice on their cases can share in the wisdom of the group.
We believe that mental health care is best done in community rather than in isolation. This does not mean eight professionals hovering around one patient at a time, but, rather, providers can refer out to other professionals as needed, and they can seek advice on their cases when it comes to topics outside of their scope of practice.
The Future of Mental Health Care
At the ICC, we hope that this model of collaboration and community will grow. We love to see people coming together and not prescribing to our old models of rampant individualization. We believe that the mental health care system can truly change when providers are empowered to achieve their own financial freedom, have control over their time, and avoid burnout by not having to make decisions that a large organization forces them to make, while making barely any money at burnout-level hours.
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