An Interdisciplinary Collaborative Approach to Wellness: Adding Lawyers to the Healthcare Team to Provide Integrated Care for Patients

International Journal of Health, Wellness, & Society, Vol. 1, p. 129, 2011

Georgia State University College of Law, Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2011-19

18 Pages Posted: 23 Aug 2011 Last revised: 26 Aug 2011

See all articles by Lisa Bliss

Lisa Bliss

Georgia State University - College of Law

Sylvia Caley

Georgia State University College of Law

Robert Pettignano

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

Date Written: August 3, 2011

Abstract

An interdisciplinary community collaboration, the medical-legal partnership, can improve health status by providing integrated care for patients from racial or ethnic minority and economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Too often, professionals care for patients in silos without a coordinated, systems approach to solving not only the medical problems but also other non-medical problems that impede access to care, reduce compliance and potentially exacerbate the original medical problem. By combining the health care expertise of hospital professionals with the legal expertise of lawyers, resulting coordinated services provide a more holistic and integrated approach to addressing the multiple determinants of health. This interdisciplinary approach improves access to care, patient health and well-being and access to financial resources for many patients. This article will explain how a collaboration among a large, urban-based health system, a state university law school, and an urban-based legal services organization created, implemented, funds, evaluates and integrates patient-focused legal services into the hospital setting. This integration can improve the health and well-being of the patients served, the revenue stream and financial well-being of the healthcare organization and create interdisciplinary educational opportunities for the professionals working within the collaboration. The article explains the process of building a collaboration, including how to evaluate institutional strengths and community resources, identify and approach partners, formalize partner roles and responsibilities, develop funding strategies, and develop a process to identify success while performing approved human subject research.

Keywords: medical-legal partnerships, health law, healthcare, interdisciplinary, patient-centered care, patient-centered legal services, collaboration, integrated care, human subject research

JEL Classification: I00, I10, I19, K32, K00, K49, Z00

Suggested Citation

Bliss, Lisa and Caley, Sylvia and Pettignano, Robert, An Interdisciplinary Collaborative Approach to Wellness: Adding Lawyers to the Healthcare Team to Provide Integrated Care for Patients (August 3, 2011). International Journal of Health, Wellness, & Society, Vol. 1, p. 129, 2011, Georgia State University College of Law, Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2011-19, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1904632

Lisa Bliss (Contact Author)

Georgia State University - College of Law ( email )

P.O. Box 4037
Atlanta, GA 30302-4037
United States

Sylvia Caley

Georgia State University College of Law ( email )

P.O. Box 4037
Atlanta, GA 30302-4037
United States

Robert Pettignano

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta ( email )

Atlanta, GA
United States

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