GETTYSBURG, PA., Oct. 7, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On August 11th, mhca held its Summer Innovation Incubator session in San Diego, "Digital Medicine In New Services — What Works & What Doesn't." The session featured the current work of two member organizations – Centerstone and Vinfen – that have incorporated digital technologies into their service delivery.
Thomas W. Doub, Ph.D., chief executive offer of Centerstone Research Institute, reviewed the results of his grant-funded review of mobile and online technologies for behavioral health. In addition, he presented the results of Centerstone's care coordination pilot, CoactionHealth. CoactionHealth aims to equip people who have complex health care needs with the tools, skills, and connections they need to engage with their health home, improve their physical and mental health, and enjoy life. Since the pilot has begun, clients enrolled have seen a decrease in emergency room visits and hospital days.
Dr. Doub's session was followed by a case study presentation by Bruce L. Bird, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Vinfen. Vinfen recently won the 2015 Scattergood Behavioral Health Foundation Innovation Award for their smartphone app supporting young adults with mental illness. Dr. Bird's session highlighted three digital medicine initiatives underway at Vinfen — and focused on the issues for executives in developing and managing tech-enabled service lines. The three digital medicine initiatives underway at Vinfen include adopting the Bosch Health Buddy system for older individuals with SMI and chronic medical conditions, developing and launching with Wellframe a smartphone app for transition aged youth with SMI, and adopting a tablet-based platform with Care at Hand. When planning for new tech projects, Dr. Bird noted there are 8 initial questions to ask before selecting a new tech platform:
- Do we buy or build?
- Operating features: Easy to use; effective; reliable; etc.?
- What functions do we want?
- Decide what "clinical/recovery content" should it have?
- How does it fit the population?
- Fit with the workflow?
- EHR linkable?
- Where do we start looking for guidance?
The Summer Innovation Incubator session started with an overview on the digital medicine market and issues in health care technology adoption by session facilitator, Monica E. Oss, chief executive officer of OPEN MINDS.
"The introduction of digital medicine is transforming the way organizations are providing behavioral health services. In order for mhca's member executives to remain thought leaders in the industry and succeed in making these transformations, mhca created the Innovation Incubator," said Dale Shreve, chief executive officer of mhca. "The Innovation Incubator brings experts from around the nation to mhca executive sessions to showcase knowledge and expertise on challenges and successful innovations."
mhca is an alliance of select organizations that provide behavioral health and related services. Its mission is advancing innovation and entrepreneurship in behavioral healthcare by enhancing leadership and strategic connections. To learn more about mhca and its events, visit: http://www2.mhca.com/
For additional questions and inquiries, please contact Dale Shreve, chief executive officer of mhca at 850-942-4900 or dshreve@mhca.com and Monica E. Oss, chief executive officer of OPEN MINDS at 717-334-1329 or openminds@openminds.com.