Summary: McKesson Health Solutions has found that a large portion of the chronically ill beneficiaries also suffer from depression and schizophrenia, says Jim Hardy, senior vice president of care management services. Increasingly, McKesson seeks nurses with a background in behavioral healthcare to provide disease and case management to this population, especially during hospitalizations and at discharge. He describes the challenges inherent in navigating the medical and mental health systems needed by these clients and suggests ways to bridge behavioral healthcare gaps. Hardy and Dr. Chad Boult, professor of public health, medicine and nursing and director of the Lipitz Center for Integrated Health Care, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, will examine disease management programs that improve health and reduce healthcare costs for those patients with comorbid conditions during Managing Comorbidities in Disease Management.
