THE ACA 

Even though the political debate continues, the Affordable Care Act is now the law of the land. Its impact on hospitals and health networks is obvious. Its impact on social work is less evident, however. 

A NEW MODEL

Going forward, it's believed that there will be a greater connection between the medical field and the social services sector as the ACA promotes a model of community-based care. While the current health care model tends to separate physical health from mental and behavioral health, this new model aims to bring them all together. 

TECHNOLOGY 

As the government begins to bring the goals of universal health care coverage to fruition it is recognizing the contributions social work brings to the health care field. The implementation of electronic health records, for example, is already taking place within health care. As the ACA pushes health care toward total electronic health records, access to health information exchanges, and other electronic communication, the requirements are trickling down to the social services space. Social service agencies must begin to adopt new technology and implement software as the ACA implements changes to the way social workers do business. As the new government model has social services integrating with the health care space, if you have a system that hasn't been upgraded in 20 years, you are going to have problems. 

TEAM WORK

The ACA is emphasizing an interdisciplinary approach to health care. It sees social workers as uniquely skilled at integrating medical care with churches, community groups, and local employers to create a one-stop-shop kind of model where physical, mental, and behavioral health are all provided. This approach is nothing new for social workers but it is new to the government as it seeks to oversee health insurance coverage. 

TRAINING

As the ACA brings technological change to social work, new training for students and current social workers is required. "Right now the biggest problem the U.S. health system faces is the integration of primary care with specialty care," says Marvin J. Southard, DSW, the director of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. "Our profession is well-suited to figure out how care coordination ought to take place but that requires us to deepen our skills of being effective in multiple systems." 

THE CHALLENGE

While the ACA presents many potential opportunities for social workers to expand their role in the health care system, the technological and business changes that the field faces are significant. Resisting, however, is futile. This is where the future is headed and it is up to the field to implement new technology and retrain social workers in a new business model.