Cherokee Health Systems (CHS) has provided health care throughout east Tennessee for over 50 years. This chapter describes its innovative model of integrated care. CHS offers primary and some specialty medical care, comprehensive behavioral services, dental, pharmacy, school-based, social, and public health services, all within a deeply integrated, comprehensive system of clinics and care settings. Each patient has a team of clinicians and staff that is constituted to deal with that patient’s needs, but usually includes primary care clinicians, behavioral health clinicians (including psychiatrists, if appropriate), clinical pharmacists, care managers, and others working as a team. CHS makes extensive use of telehealth, particularly for psychiatric consultation, pharmacy counseling, primary care, and specialty medical consultation. Psychiatrists operate in multiple roles, including as primary clinicians, consultants to primary care and other behavioral health clinicians, team leaders, and educators. CHS is a growing, financially stable system that continues to expand across east Tennessee.
