Mental and physical health conditions have traditionally been kept separate in the health care system. You go to one provider for mental health care, and another for physical health care. Services are typically fragmented and disconnected.
Yet, there’s a growing call to bring together physical and mental health care services – a call that Remedy Healthcare has already answered.
Remedy Healthcare’s Executive General Manager, Mike Hutton-Squire, says he believes integrated holistic care is the future of health care.
“It helps us address one of the most significant healthcare issues challenging us today—chronic disease management,” said Mr Hutton-Squire.
“Addressing both mental and physical health conditions together ensures that people do better at home rather than returning to hospital or helping them avoid hospital altogether, which lowers costs.”
The case for integrated holistic care comes from one simple fact: the health of mind and body is interrelated.
Remedy’s Clinical Director Dr Jeannie Yoo said there is substantial evidence that long-term physical and mental health conditions are not only increasingly present together, but one can exacerbate the other.
For example, research shows that depression increases the risk of cardiac disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, or obesity by at least 40% .
“Reduced quality of life, poorer health outcomes and the burdens placed on the healthcare system are even greater when individuals have a combination of both mental and physical health conditions,” said Dr Yoo.
“This is reflected in the costs of providing care to these patients. By interacting with and exacerbating physical illness, mental health conditions raise total healthcare costs by at least 45% for a person with a long-term condition.”
Remedy Healthcare is already providing integrated holistic care with two of its services: HealthierMe and MindStep.
Focused on physical health, HealthierMe is a phone-based personalised health coaching and care coordination program aimed at supporting patients with the lifestyle and behavioural changes to prevent, or help cope with, long-term health conditions.
For mental health, MindStep is a phone-based coaching program using low-intensity cognitive behavioural therapy to help clients develop the skills to manage symptoms of their anxiety or depression. It’s the only one of its kind in Australia that focuses specifically on supporting patients after they’ve been discharged from hospital.
How do these two services come together?
“We see them as two sides of the same coin: physical and mental health coaching are inextricably linked. It’s increasingly hard to tell whether a client’s physical health condition is exacerbated by their mental health condition, or vice versa,” said Mr Hutton-Squire.
“We have to look at the individual holistically. Our goal is to provide health coaching and wrap care coordination around the member to ensure the very best outcomes tailored to the person’s own goals and preferences.”
Integrated holistic care in cancer survivorship
One area where integrated holistic care is already bringing better outcomes is in cancer survivorship.
Ramsay Connect’s Cancer Survivorship program was designed by Remedy to help support patients as they transition from hospital based to community-based care, and from acute needs to long-term survivorship.
“Cancer survivors have significant unmet needs across psychosocial, supportive care, and physical domains,” said Dr Yoo.
“Up to 50% of cancer patients suffer from depression and anxiety.”
To address these unmet needs, Remedy created a holistic service that takes both HealthierMe and MindStep and integrates them with in-hospital acute cancer care services.
“HealthierMe and MindStep work in harmony. The health coaching can support lifestyle changes that might be needed or support for other non-cancer related conditions, while MindStep provides the mental health support they might need at home.”
“They are also closely linked to hospital-based acute cancer services through a post active treatment care planning process.”
Most importantly, the survivorship care services are completely individualised, putting the patient, their needs and goals at the centre.
Mr Hutton-Squire said, “In programs like this we’re able to seam the borders between hospital care and home care, while providing support for their whole health. It’s the true meaning of integrated holistic care.”