Thursday, April 03 | Thought Leadership, EHR Solutions and Operations, Interoperability, Value-based Care
5 Ways to Break Down Silos and Deliver Whole-Person Care
By David Strocchia, SVP & Managing Director, Provider Solutions
The Shift Toward Whole-Person Care
It’s no secret that healthcare providers in the United States report better outcomes within a framework of whole-person care, an approach that integrates behavioral, physical and social determinants of health. According to a 2023 report from the National Academy for State Health Policy, 27 states have implemented whole-person care models within Medicaid to improve health outcomes and reduce costs. source
But how do organizations actually successfully transition from traditional siloed care to a truly integrated, value-based model?
That’s exactly what Netsmart experts tackled during a recent OPEN MINDS presentation "From Silos to Synergy—Delivering Value-Based Whole-Person Care." If you weren’t able to join us for the session, you’re in luck! Here are five key takeaways from the discussion.
1. Adopt a “Quarterback” Approach to Care Coordination
Whole-person care doesn’t mean an organization must provide every service itself—it means various organizations do their part to ensure patients have access to coordinated, comprehensive care. Julie Edwards, APN, FNP-C Medical Director at CPC Integrated Health, described their role as a “quarterback”, overseeing care and ensuring smooth communication between primary care, behavioral health and community services.
Action Step: Strengthen partnerships with local primary care providers (PCPs), free clinics and social service agencies to ensure seamless referrals and data-sharing.
2. Integrate Behavioral and Physical Health Services
Traditional healthcare silos often separate mental and physical health, even though individuals with mental health conditions are more likely to suffer from chronic illnesses. Dr. Yolanda Graham, FAPA, DFAACAP, of Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health, emphasized how their Arizona clinic integrates behavioral and physical health to treat eating disorders in adolescents, filling a major gap in care.
“Our physicians either work for us or they contract with us. They use our systems, and so that makes it really easy to see the whole person within the range of care. We have access to labs, to medical notes. It's documented in our EHR. So that really is an ideal setting, but it looks very different in our adult community, where they're seeing different providers, none of them are in our electronic system.” — Dr. Graham
Action Step: Consider embedding family nurse practitioners, pharmacists or social workers within behavioral health settings to improve access to physical health services.
3. Leverage Technology to Improve Interoperability
Most panelists agreed: access to real-time patient data is critical to making whole-person care work. But interoperability remains a challenge, with healthcare providers struggling to share patient information across different electronic health record (EHR) systems.
Action Step: Invest in EHRs that prioritize data sharing and bi-directional integration with state health information exchanges (HIEs) to access crucial patient data and prioritize relationships with other providers that value data sharing.
4. Engage Frontline Staff in the Transition to Whole-Person Care
Moving to whole-person care requires cultural and operational change. Both CPC Integrated Health and Bart Beattie, MSW, COO of Spurwink Services, shared that early resistance from clinical staff was a challenge. The key? Framing whole-person care as a way to enhance—not burden—provider’s work.
Action Step: Hold CCBHC (Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic) training sessions to help staff see how integrated care improves client outcomes and job satisfaction.
5. Use Value-Based Payment Models to Sustain Whole-Person Care
The financial sustainability of whole-person care depends on value-based payment models. Dr. Graham emphasized that Pennsylvania’s move toward selective contracting—where providers must meet specific quality benchmarks to receive funding—has incentivized Devereux to focus on outcomes.
“[Selective contracting] is a great incentive. I think it's important to educate staff around why these contracts are so important. It’s really motivating to staff to know that if we don't do this, we don't get paid, and which means closing programs, reducing programs and our staff are really committed to mission.” — Dr. Graham
Action Step: Work with managed care organizations (MCOs) to negotiate payment structures based on clinical outcomes and social determinants of health, ensuring financial sustainability.
The Future of Whole-Person Care
The message from the presentation was clear: Whole-person care isn’t a one-size-fits-all model. Organizations must find the right balance between building internal capabilities and partnering with external providers. As technology advances and states continue adopting value-based models, organizations that invest in strong partnerships, interoperability and workforce engagement will lead the way in delivering better, more holistic care.
Want to learn more? Contact us to see how we are reinventing the future of whole-person care.
Dave Strocchia leads the post-acute care and human services organizations for Netsmart. In this role, he works closely with the clinical, development and product teams to ensure all Netsmart technology solutions and professional services align with client and market needs. This allows clients across the post-acute care and human services communities to thrive in emerging models of care, like value-based reimbursement.
An active participant in advancing healthcare technology since 2003, Dave’s career at Netsmart began in 2007. Over his tenure, he has held a variety of roles in areas such as consulting, client alignment and product management. He holds a Bachelor of Science in industrial and management engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.
Meet the Author
David
Strocchia
· SVP & Managing Director, Provider Solutions
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