Plan and Provider Opportunities to Move Toward Integrated Family Health

Authors: Suzanne C. Brundage, Chad Shearer 

The related press release can be found here.

Family dynamics can influence the health of children in profound ways. Evidence also suggests the health of multiple generations of a family can be improved through family-focused interventions, especially those that integrate services that address the social, economic, and behavioral factors that can affect health.

A United Hospital Fund report, Plan and Provider Opportunities to Move Toward Integrated Family Health Care, presents a framework for health care providers and insurers to use primary care as a launching pad to ensure that the health needs of all family members are met through integrated services. The report introduces the idea of “integrated family care” as a goal for the nation’s health care systems and payers and provides pragmatic recommendations for how health care can move toward that goal. 

The “integrated family care” concept relies on a strong foundation of health insurance coverage, builds on delivery system transformation efforts toward patient and family-centered care, and leverages existing approaches like maternal depression screening during well-child visits.

The publication is supported by a Cooperative Agreement awarded to ChangeLab Solutions and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.