As the 1992 presidential campaign moved into high gear, it became evident that major changes in healthcare delivery were imminent. The compartmentalized, fee-for-service system in place was cumbersome, inefficiently protective of privileged sectors of the healthcare profession, unable to respond to the complex needs of disadvantaged populations, and plagued with intolerable costs. Most new designs focused on cost control by limiting access and redesigning benefit packages. In March of 1993, 15 colleagues from the fields of family medicine and family therapy met to develop a better healthcare paradigm. This model aimed to address pressing clinical and economic problems. The group considered this urgent question:

“No matter how financed, what should a thoroughly modern healthcare delivery system look like at the clinical level?”

It was agreed that a truly contemporary system would thoroughly integrate the expertise of biomedical and psychosocial providers and include family and community as key elements in the practice model. This became their design goal.

Naming their vision the “collaborative family healthcare model,” they formed an organization to bring together those interested in this innovative approach. Using an organization originally incorporated in 1975 by one of the founding members, Dr. Don Bloch, the association was born under the name, Collaborative Family Healthcare Coalition, Inc. In July 1995, CFHA held its first national conference in Washington, D.C., and has grown steadily as the field of integrated care morphed from a side-interest in the healthcare landscape to a broadly recognized cornerstone of high-quality care. Today CFHA stands as the only not-for-profit member association in the world dedicated solely to supporting healthcare professionals in integrating physical and behavioral healthcare.