Families, systems & health : the journal of collaborative family healthcare
-
This special issue discusses the ethical issues providers face in collaborative primary care settings. It is organized in three sections: (a) Common Themes, (b) Context-Specific Quandaries, and (c) Research and Training. It provides case examples to illustrate ethical dilemmas, describe professional ethical standards pertinent to the case, identifies gaps in available guidance and how guidelines might be elucidated in state statues (without going into detail about specific states), offers feasible recommendations to BHCs for deciding an ethical course when extant guidance was lacking, and then demonstrates and applies the recommendations to achieve an ethical resolution to the case example.
-
This article describes findings from ongoing research and analysis of current literature in addition to discussions with leaders in the field, communications with lawyers and administrators of advocacy and government agencies pertaining to integrated primary care (IPC). Standards of care are established based on a myriad of factors, including professional codes of ethics, case law, state and federal laws, professional standards, existing best practices, current professional guidelines, administrative rules and regulations, and licensing board regulations. ⋯ This article provides a review of these regulations, particularly 42CFR Part 2, a federal law governing confidentiality for substance abuse programs, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and state laws relevant to patient care in IPC settings. On the basis of findings from the study, the authors make recommendations related to patient care practices concerning informed consent and release of information procedures, treatment and warm hand-off protocols, documentation and electronic record keeping, agreements with other providers, and billing.
-
In the past decade, more and more behavioral health providers have begun consultation practices in primary-care settings. Their availability makes multidisciplinary care a reality and the possibility of improved outcomes for patients with chronic pain more feasible. ⋯ This article presents two cases to illustrate the questions that arise in delivery of primary-care behavioral health services to patients with chronic pain. Relevant professional ethical guidelines for psychologists, social workers, and physicians are examined and recommendations for addressing the gaps in extant guides are offered.
-
In this article, Larry Mauksch thanks the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association (CFHA) board for the honor in receiving the 2012 Don Bloch Award. The Don Bloch Award is presented annually to a person who has made singular contributions to forwarding the cause of collaborative family health care.