Whole Person Care

Whole person means your health and wellness are not limited to your physical health but on the well-being of you as the whole person. There are several areas that contribute to wellness for all of us, such as emotional, financial, social, spiritual, occupational, and physical health. It also means that you have a partnership role with your health care provider in deciding the best ways to achieve and maintain your well-being. This partnership is essential for your doctor to understand your uniqueness and how circumstances and events in your life make it easier or harder to be healthy. This person-centered approach is also essential so that the care you are receiving fits with your day to day life, which makes it more likely to be successful. Another important feature of ‘whole person’ care is that it includes health and wellness promotion that builds each person’s resiliency, as well as prevention so that health concerns are identified and addressed early.

All too often, health care professionals treat patients only for their physical conditions and not accompanying behavioral health conditions. Patients with behavioral health conditions (which include mental health and substance abuse conditions) often return to the doctor again and again with similar physical problems related to the untreated behavioral condition which in turn drive up health care costs.

Untreated depression prevents people from properly managing other chronic conditions and often worsens their physical symptoms. These individuals repeatedly return to the doctor with similar physical problems related to the untreated behavioral condition.

Mental health problems also compound existing physical health problems and make it more difficult for individuals to care for themselves. Individuals with chronic conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease are more than likely suffering from depression. While many individuals experience depression as a result of living with their chronic disease, some people develop depression as a result of biologic effects of their chronic illness. These co-occurring physical and mental conditions, called comorbidity, result in substantial additional cost to the health care system.

People who are trapped with an undiagnosed or untreated behavioral health problem are not getting optimal care for three critical reasons:

1. Lack of coordination between primary care and behavioral health care;
2. Inadequate primary care for behavioral health; and
3. Stigma about mental health conditions.

Eastpointe Managed Care Organization believes in the development, dissemination and implementation of the Integrated Care model throughout our catchment areas. This model of Integration of the Medical and Physical care provides a framework for our members to received enhanced patient care.