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Thanks. This is very helpful. Sandy Blount</font></p>
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<b>From</b>: pc-bh-integration-bounces@lists101.his.com <pc-bh-integration-bounces@lists101.his.com>
<br><b>To</b>: pc-bh-integration@lists101.his.com <pc-bh-integration@lists101.his.com>
<br><b>Cc</b>: Anupriya Grover <AnupriyaG@thenationalcouncil.org>
<br><b>Sent</b>: Thu Jul 23 08:39:23 2009<br><b>Subject</b>: [PC-BH-Integration] Study: People w Psych Dis. Return to WorkFaster w/Integrated Care
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<DIV><SPAN style="FONT: 11pt Tahoma; COLOR: #000000">A recently released study from the Centre for Addiction and<BR>Mental Health (CAMH) in Canada has found that people with psychiatric<BR>disabilities return to employment faster when their primary care<BR>doctor(s) actively partners with mental health professionals.<BR><BR>Individuals on short-term disability were found to be more likely to<BR>avoid transitioning to long-term disability, have shorter stays on<BR>disability leave, and employers saw cost savings. Eighty-five percent of<BR>participants treated in a collaborative-care team were able to return to<BR>work, compared to 63% who received standard care. Just 7% of those<BR>receiving collaborative care transitioned to long-term disability,<BR>compared to 31% treated by family physicians alone.<BR><BR>Employees On Leave For Mental Illness Return To Work Sooner When Family<BR>Doctor Works With Mental Health Professional: Study<BR><BR>July 22nd 2009<BR><BR></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT: 11pt Tahoma; COLOR: #0000ff; TEXT-DECORATION: underline"><A href="http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2009/22/c7799.html">http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2009/22/c7799.html</A></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT: 11pt Tahoma; COLOR: #000000"> <BR><BR> <BR>TORONTO, July 22 /CNW/ - Individuals who are on short-term disability<BR>leave due to mental illness may return to work sooner when their family<BR>doctor actively partners with a psychiatrist or other mental health<BR>professional, according to a new study from the Centre for Addiction and<BR>Mental Health (CAMH).<BR><BR>When family physicians work collaboratively with specialists, the result<BR>seems to benefit both the employee and the employer, says study author<BR>Dr. Carolyn Dewa, Program Head for CAMH's Work and Well-being Research<BR>and Evaluation Program at CAMH. Individuals on short-term disability are<BR>more likely to avoid transitioning to long-term disability, and to have<BR>a shorter disability leave, while employers see a cost savings in<BR>disability payments.<BR><BR>Estimates show that about ten percent of the working population is<BR>diagnosed with depression, anxiety, or other mental illness each year.<BR>In Canada, this represents about $17 billion in productivity losses to<BR>the economy.<BR><BR>Collaborative Care<BR><BR>The demonstration project led by Dewa is the first study ever to<BR>evaluate the effect of partnering family physicians with a psychiatrist<BR>or other mental health professional when treating patients on short-term<BR>disability leave due to a mental health problem.<BR><BR>"One of the barriers to effective mental health treatment is the<BR>fragmentation that often exists between different types of health care<BR>providers," says Dewa. "When people are in distress it is appropriate to<BR>go to their family doctor. Family physicians may refer their patients to<BR>specialists, but they are not necessarily partnering with the mental<BR>health professional. The result can be fragmentation of care. We wanted<BR>to see if a collaborative-care model could make a difference," she says.<BR><BR>The demonstration study, published in the Canadian Journal of<BR>Psychiatry, looked at employees on short-term disability leave over one<BR>year. Dewa and her team compared standard care - delivered by a single<BR>family physician who does not stay in active collaboration with the<BR>specialists - to a teamwork model that emphasizes availability of<BR>specialty mental health resources, increased communication between<BR>family doctors and mental health professionals, and follow-up care.<BR><BR>The Ontario government stressed the importance of collaborative care in<BR>its recently announced mental health strategy.<BR><BR>Cost Savings To Employers<BR><BR>Study participants receiving collaborative care returned to work at<BR>higher rates than those treated by a family physician alone, the study<BR>found. The average cost savings to employers was an average of $503 per<BR>patient.<BR><BR>"Our findings demonstrate that partnering or collaborative care is more<BR>cost-effective, increasing the amount of people who are able to return<BR>to work while decreasing the number of people transitioning to long-term<BR>disability.<BR><BR>The cost of metal illness is a large burden on the economy, but if we<BR>are able to find new ways to work together, we can provide better care<BR>and decrease these losses," says Dewa.<BR><BR>Eighty-five percent of participants treated in a collaborative-care team<BR>were able to return to work, compared to 63% who received standard care.<BR>Just 7% of those receiving collaborative care transitioned to long-term<BR>disability, compared to 31% treated by family physicians alone.<BR><BR>The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada's largest<BR>mental health and addiction teaching hospital, as well as one of the<BR>world's leading research centres in the area of addiction and mental<BR>health. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy<BR>development, prevention and health promotion to help transform the lives<BR>of people affected by mental health and addiction issues.<BR><BR></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT: 11pt Tahoma; COLOR: #0000ff; TEXT-DECORATION: underline"><A href="http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2009/22/c7799.html">http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2009/22/c7799.html</A></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT: 11pt Tahoma; COLOR: #000000"> <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR></DIV>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt">Laura Galbreath, MPP<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt">Director of Policy and Advocacy<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt">National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt">202-684-7457, ext. 231<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt">703-965-0812 cell<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><A href="mailto:LauraG@thenationalcouncil.org">LauraG@thenationalcouncil.org</A></SPAN></P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><o:p>
<DIV><!--StartFragment-->Post and look for executive, clinical, and administrative openings on the nation's only dedicated behavioral health job board.<BR><A href="http://jobank.thenationalcouncil.org/">http://jobank.thenationalcouncil.org/</A><!--EndFragment--> </DIV></o:p></SPAN></DIV></SPAN></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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