Integrated healthcare is a distinct approach to healthcare that is distinguished by close collaboration and communication among multiple doctors and healthcare professionals. In other words, it is a type of healthcare in which all of your doctors collaborate to solve physical, mental, and behavioral health issues. Each doctor and medical professional contributes to your overall care rather than being isolated and separate. For better health outcomes, physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, psychologists, and other health professionals collaborate.
Integrated healthcare has numerous advantages for both patients and doctors. This primarily includes:
Patient satisfaction
- Research on integrated healthcare has found that it leads to higher overall patient satisfaction rates. Patients benefit from improved collaboration among their doctors, who can collaborate closely to provide better overall outcomes for disease management, mental health issues, physical therapy, and much more. This improves their quality of life and their satisfaction with their healthcare provider.
Quality of Care
- Integrated healthcare improves overall care quality. General practitioners, specialists, physical therapists, psychologists, home care professionals, and other medical professionals can work more closely together to better understand each patient’s unique needs and develop a customized, personalized treatment plan to improve their health conditions, ensure they’re receiving appropriate treatment, and improve their overall well-being.
Access to Services Improvement
- One of the most significant advantages of integrated healthcare for patients is improved access to services. It is easier for patients to get the physical and mental health care they require. Healthcare services are now more accessible than ever, with many integrated healthcare providers now offering virtual healthcare services and telemedicine.
Lower overall healthcare costs
- When doctors and medical professionals work and collaborate together, overall healthcare costs are reduced. Patients can receive the care they require in fewer appointments. Improved information-sharing in an integrated healthcare model can also help speed up diagnosis and eliminate unnecessary medical tests and exams, lowering costs for both patients and healthcare providers.