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Benefits Of Integrated Healthcare Models

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Prior research of geriatric access to behavioral health services shows that the primary care provider is typically the provider to assess, diagnosis, and manage medication for depression (CDC, 2010). However, not all seniors have access to a primary care physician or are seen in a traditional clinic due to physical or cognitive impairment. Behavioral health services are one of the largest gaps in geriatric care yet to be closed because of the difficulty in identifying a behavioral health need, referring clients to the appropriate provider, and following through on that referral. Past research has collected useful and informative data from seniors in varying types of healthcare settings (Bayliss, 2015), but has not captured much data from …show more content…

There are several housecalls programs in North Texas. The program covering the largest geographical area, Organization A, will provide the sample for this study. Time series design is applicable because of the number of influencing factors in identifying and treating depression. For example, stress, brain chemistry, or genetics may contribute to the occurrence of depression in older adults (NIMH, 2016). “Depression can also co-occur with other serious medical illnesses such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and Parkinson’s disease” (NIMH, 2016). Organization A is affiliated with the largest hospital system in North Texas. This allows the researchers to gather data from a diverse population of participants and test the effectiveness of an integrated healthcare system when applied to the care of homebound seniors. Seniors over the age of 65 who are admitted to the affiliated hospital with one or more chronic disease, have Medicare, Medicaid, or are unfunded, and meet homebound criteria will be referred to Organization A by the hospital Social Work and Care Coordination team. The referred senior will be contacted within 48 hours of hospital discharge and informed of the housecalls program and asked if they want to be admitted for primary care. At the time of admission to the program by a Nurse Practitioner (NP) or Medical Doctor (MD) a patient health questionnaire will be

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