Shaping the future of integrated care in Kansas
Sunflower Foundation has long supported improving Kansans’ access to integrated care, a holistic approach involving providers in different fields of health care working together to deliver a seamless, patient-centered continuum of care. Evidence shows that such models of care improve patient outcomes, increase patient and provider satisfaction, and curb health care costs.
With a goal of advancing a statewide vision and providing a roadmap for improving access to integrated care services, the foundation is partnering with key subject matter experts and technical assistance providers to deliver training and technical assistance opportunities to health care clinics across Kansas that are interested in exploring or implementing more integrated models of care.
The foundation recently launched the Integrated Care Learning Network with a day of learning, networking and conversation about the future of integrated care in Kansas. Representatives of clinics from across the state joined key partners and stakeholders at the Sunflower Nonprofit Center, where experts from the University of Colorado’s Farley Health Policy Center talked about the foundations of integrated care and representatives from HealthTeamWorks spoke about technical assistance they can provide clinics interested in implementing more integrated models of care.
What comes next for clinics, starting in October and running through March, is a series of monthly Learning Community Calls about on the Building Blocks of Behavioral Health Integration. This is a chance to hear from experts at the Farley Center and network with peers from around the state. The monthly calls are scheduled for noon to 1 p.m. on the third Friday of each month. Register here for the Learning Community Calls. Signing up once registers you for all calls. (See schedule at right).
The Farley Center also is providing a free Building Blocks of Behavioral Health Integration e-Learning module. Participants in this virtual training opportunity can earn one hour of category 1 continuing medical education (CME) credit from the American Academy of Family Physicians. See instructions below for how to register for the e-Learning module.
Any clinic in Kansas that is interested in providing more integrated health care services is encouraged to register for the monthly calls and e-learning module.
The launch event also served as a starting point for a group of integrated care system stakeholders to begin working to identify opportunities to improve the accessibility and sustainability of integrated health services in Kansas. Wichita State University’s Community Engagement Institute will be supporting the work of the system stakeholder group over the next year.
The Integrated Care Learning Network is supported, in part, through funding from the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services. We also want to thank the Patterson Family Foundation for its engagement with this work and its shared interest in improving and expanding health care services to help rural communities thrive.
Learning Community Calls
The Integrated Care Learning Network will feature monthly Learning Community Calls led by the Farley Health Policy Center team. The series is focused on the Building Blocks of Behavioral Health Integration.
The sessions will be held from noon to 1 p.m. on the third Friday of each month, starting in October and running through March.
These calls will be a great opportunity for behavioral health managers, behavioral health consultants, clinic managers or other champions of integrated care in the clinic to network with peers and connect with expert technical assistance providers.
Signing up once registers you for all calls.
Sessions topics are as follows:
- October 17 – Leadership
- November 21 – Data
- December 19 – Team-based Care/Patient and Family Engagement
- January 16 – Population Management/Access
- February 20 – Comprehensiveness and Care Coordination
- March 20 – Sustainability, including Billing/Coding, Onboarding, Training
Want to learn more about Sunflower’s work in integrated care and the Integrated Care Learning Network? Sign up to for our integrated care e-news.
e-Learning Modules
The e-Learning modules are for everyone! Integrated care takes teamwork, and these modules are a flexible tool to help build a collaborative team. To register:
- Go to https://cuelearning.org
- Click on the Register link
- A pop-up box will appear to enter your email and set up your password.
- For Registration Code, enter: SUNFLOWER
You then will be redirected to your My Account page, where you will have access to the module. To receive one hour of category 1 CME credit from the American Academy of Family Physicians for completing the Building Blocks of Behavioral Health Integration e-Learning module, you must complete the evaluation at the end of the module.
What Does Integrated Care Mean to You?
A number of health clinics, partners and stakeholders interested in helping advance the delivery of integrated health care services across Kansas attended the Integrated Care Learning Network launch event. We asked some of them “What does integrated care mean to you?”
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Questions about Integrated Care at Sunflower?
