Collaboration is Key

Collaboration is Key

Collaboration is Key

By Dawn Choudhury, Director of Client Development at Master Center for Addiction Medicine

Collaboration in addiction medicine has been shown to improve outcomes and lower the cost of care. It provides increased access to quality treatment, which leads to earlier detection, earlier intervention, and continuity of care — all of which have been linked to improved outcomes in patients suffering from the disease of addiction. 

At Master Center, collaboration plays a vital role in our model of addiction treatment. From the interdepartmental collaborations to improve processes and patient care to the countless external partnerships that allow for better access to treatment, our focus is patient-centered to improve access to care in the hope of improving outcomes.

It’s easy to think of other organizations as “competitors” but here at Master Center, we strive to foster like-minded partnerships to achieve our common goal of long-term remission from substance use disorder by finding and facilitating the appropriate pathway to success. By creating effective referral pathways with various partners in the community such as hospital systems, sober living facilities, community services boards, primary care physicians, inpatient residential treatment centers, and detox facilities – to name a few – we’re positioned to achieve the continuity of care needed to succeed in the treatment of addiction.

Achieving optimal collaboration also includes educating the community on the disease of addiction. Education is a fundamental part of Master Center’s mission. We are always researching new methods and utilizing various platforms to deliver the most up-to-date scientific and experiential information to our patients and the community at large. To this end, we often solicit the help of our collaborative partners in the community to share their knowledge and expertise on various topics. This fosters relationships amongst professionals and peers and equips patients and their families with the resources they need.

As society has struggled with the negative effects of COVID-19, the use of Zoom and similar platforms has allowed people not only to work from home but also to stay connected to friends and family in these very trying times. These platforms have also broadened our collaborative reach at Master Center and allowed us to form new partnerships and begin new relationships that would otherwise not have been fostered. This technology has been very effective in bringing information to our patients and their families and empowering them with much-needed information and educational tools, as well as to our strategic partners as we develop new initiatives.

Throughout my tenure at Master Center, I have found that relationships are the cornerstone of good collaboration. I have met some of the most hard-working and compassionate people in outreach and business development. I’ve come to the realization that we all share a common goal and that is to increase access to care and improve outcomes for our patients and their families struggling with the disease of addiction. These are the people I know we can count on to be responsive and keep the patients’ individual needs first and foremost. Together, we are all making a difference in the lives of our patients and their families.