Whole person service is the key to healthy communities

Conceptually, the healthcare sector understands that wellbeing requires more than a single point-in-time treatment. Yet, taking a holistic view of a person’s health simply hasn’t been the norm in the United States. 

The side effects of traditional approaches to care suggest that the system isn’t working. Healthcare costs continue to rise, the opioid crisis isn’t going away and there’s no clear data that Americans are getting healthier. 

These are thorny problems to be sure, but whole person service could be the solution. Whole person service focuses broadly on an individual’s physical, mental and socioeconomic wellbeing. It also takes the long view – addressing a person’s immediate needs, as well as the longer-term actions that will lead to greater self-sufficiency. 

Whole person service focuses on the basic needs required for wellbeing, ranging from healthcare to food, childcare, housing, education, unemployment and criminal justice. As the old saying goes, “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” The same concepts apply to whole person service. Addressing hunger today is important, but having a meaningful job tomorrow can be life-changing physically, mentally, and economically. Similarly, finding shelter on a winter night is vital, but access to long-term, stable housing can transform the future for a family. 

In the whole person service model of care, services are designed and administered so an individual’s immediate needs are met first. For example, a person may need urgent care in an emergency room setting to address a medical condition or a homeless person may need a bed for the night at a community center. 

Once those immediate concerns are resolved, a longer-term, holistic journey of improvement can begin. Individuals at risk should receive supplemental assistance to stabilize their situation and then they should receive advisory guidance to sustain them and promote self-sufficiency. Comprehensive case management is a critical piece of a sustainable journey to self-sufficiency. 

Whole person service requires coordination and collaboration across governmental agencies from the federal level all the way down to states and localities. Coordination and collaboration are also essential among health plans and providers. 

Enhanced data sharing and better data consistency are crucial for breaking down silos, improving case management and delivering higher quality care. To make whole person service a reality, organizations must focus on business transformation and solution modernization.

It can be helpful to view the journey to whole person service through the lens of seamless eligibility which has three components:

1. Experience. All stakeholders, whether they are patients, clinicians or other healthcare employees, must have a positive experience. This can be achieved through tools and resources that are accessible, easy-to-use and responsive. 
2. Efficiency. Cost efficiency results from more streamlined program administration, enhanced employee productivity, regulatory compliance and more accurate and complete information. Analytics can play a central role in achieving efficiency and excellence. 
3. Effectiveness. Whole person service contributes to measurable improvements in people’s wellbeing, while realizing the promises associated with whole person care. 

The benefits that whole person service provides to individuals can begin a virtuous cycle that extends to the broader community. As individuals and their families become more self-sufficient, their communities also enjoy greater self-sufficiency. A holistic approach to well-being conserves financial and human resources which can then be applied for the greater good of society. The time is right for whole person care. 

Learn more about how Gainwell’s technology solutions can help you focus on whole person care as well as improve the administration and operations of health and human services programs.

Gainwell Technologies is the leading provider of technology solutions that are vital to the administration and operations of health and human services programs. With proven experience, a reputation for service excellence and unparalleled industry expertise, we offer scalable and flexible solutions to solve our client's most complex challenges.