Kansas to Exchange Info on Co-Occurring Behavioral, Physical Conditions

Two new solutions are being adopted in Kansas to help assure coordinated care, improve outcomes and reduce cost of care for people with co-occurring mental and physical health issues.


Two new solutions are being adopted in Kansas to help assure coordinated care, improve outcomes and reduce cost of care for people with co-occurring mental and physical health issues.

The initiatives use Health Homes and health information exchanges to share authorized clinical information and facilitate referrals between providers. Both use care coordination technologies from Overland Park, Kan.-based Netsmart to facilitate the information exchange process. The initiatives include:

*The Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas' behavioral health-centered Health Homes will utilize Netsmart’s CareManager platform to streamline communication and monitor outcomes. Patients may have multiple chronic conditions including asthma, COPD, HIV, schizophrenia, depression, diabetes, or a body mass index (BMI) over 25. By integrating primary care and behavioral health, the Health Homes will seek to improve both the quality of care and health outcomes.

*The Kansas Health Information Network, a statewide HIE whose founding members include the Kansas Medical Society and the Kansas Hospital Association, has also announced it is partnering with Netsmart to connect behavioral health and physical health communities using Netsmart’s CareConnect solution. CareConnect transmits protected health information in a secure, encrypted and auditable manner to statewide and regional providers through the KHIN HIE.

“The inclusion of physical and behavioral healthcare data together in KHIN has resulted in a more complete medical record for Kansas patients," KHIN Executive Director Laura McCrary said. "KHIN members feel strongly that complete data, including behavioral health data at the point of care, helps to ensure the safety of Kansas patients.”

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