Leveraging Interprofessional Team-Based Care Toward Case Management Excellence: Part 1, History, Fundamentals,...

: Health care teams continue to be a constructive way to approach, assess, coordinate, plan, and facilitate the care of clients and populations. Independent of practice setting, some type of team is in place, engaging different professionals and specialists. There has been considerable evolution of these teams over the years, with a heritage of terms to frame each one, including "multidisciplinary," "interdisciplinary," and "transdisciplinary." However, these long-standing framings have been replaced by a timelier model that shifts both focus and aim of the team effort. Interprofessional team-based care (IPTBC) sets the tone for how students entering the industry are educated and empowers the workforce to a more intentional means to the care end. This is the first in a 2-part series focusing on the evolution and implementation of IPTBC across the industry. Part 1 focuses on the history and fundamental concepts of interprofessional models. Evidence and outcomes to promote the value proposition for IPTBC implementation are also provided.

This article: PRIMARY PRACTICE SETTING(S):: Applicable to all health and behavioral health settings where case management is practiced.

Interprofessional team-based care models demonstrate a successful means to achieve client-driven, quality, and cost-effective care across disease states and practice settings.

With case management so closely linked to the fiscal imperatives of organizations, engagement in IPTBC is a necessity for every practice setting. Poor team collaboration contributes to unsuccessful outcomes for clients, increased costs, and concerning quality and risk management issues for the organization. The latest generation of value-based care initiatives and complex population health needs (e.g., social determinants of health, co-occurring physical and behavioral health) translates to greater pressures on case managers to maximize financial risk and attain their share of financial incentives (e.g., bonuses, shared savings) by avoiding readmissions, preventable complications, and duplicate services.