Roger G. Kathol, MD, CPE

Contact Information: Roger G. Kathol President Cartesian Solutions, Inc.™ 3004 Foxpoint Road Burnsville, MN 55337 P: 952-426-1626 F: 952-426-1200 E: roger-kathol@cartesiansolutions.com

Dr. Kathol is President of Cartesian Solutions, Inc.™, is an innovative health strategist in the development of integrated programs and systems for patients with illness complexity, many of whom have concurrent physical health (PH) and mental health/substance use disorders (MH/SUDs). Dr. Kathol is board certified in internal medicine, psychiatry, and medical management with extensive clinical and administrative experience gained during 25 years as a physician/teacher/researcher at the University of Iowa, and 10 years as an international health management (HM) consultant. His background ideally positions him to assist stakeholders in the health industry create integrated PH and MH/SUD solutions which improve care quality, augment outcomes, and lower total health care and health-related costs. Cartesian Solutions, Inc.™, provides client leadership with focused assistance in addressing the needs of difficult to treat and high-cost patients with complexity:

• Hospitals and Clinics – designs and/or upgrades financially solvent and cost saving inpatient and outpatient integrated PH and MH/SUD complexity assessment and intervention programs
• General Medical Health Plans – incorporates Cartesian Solutions, Inc.™, proprietary quality-enhancing and cost-saving components as medical health plans in-source, then integrate, MH/SUD service support and business practices with those of PH; works equally from carved-in or carved-out platforms
• Case Management – with the Case Management Society of America (CMSA), trains health managers (case, disease, EAP, disability, WC, health coaching) to incorporate integrated PH and MH/SUD support capabilities using complexity-based technology; creates health plan, case management vendor, and purchaser programs which implement integrated complexity-based PH and MH/SUD strategies and break down care management silos
• Healthcare Purchasers (employers/government agencies) – redesigns contract language to prevent expensive cost shifting from behavioral to medical benefits, to encourage integration of PH and MH/SUD constituent care, and to lower total health care premium and claims costs; audits health plan and HM vendor business practices to improve care coordination, reduce impairment/disability, lower total health-related costs, and allow report of performance metrics.

Dr. Kathol has received numerous national research and recognition awards. He serves as strategy and healthcare advisor to several national and international organizations and foundations. He was Founding President of the Association of Medicine and Psychiatry, has served as President of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine and the Minnesota Psychiatric Society, and is currently a Trustee of the Minnesota Medical Association.

Since leaving the University of Iowa after 22 years of patient care, he worked to integrate PH and MH/SUD business practices as Medical Director at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota and has completed over 85 integrated care consultations as President of Cartesian Solutions, Inc.™, Recent consultations include: Calgary Health Region (Calgary, Alberta), United Healthcare (MN), Integra Health (MD), 3M Corporation (MN), Medical College of South Carolina (SC), the INTERMED Foundation (Netherlands), Independent Health (NY), Health Integrated (FL), and MDwise (IN).

Dr. Kathol is currently adjunct professor of internal medicine and psychiatry at the University of Minnesota. He has published over 145 peer reviewed articles and 25 book chapters. In his book Healing Body AND Mind: A Critical Issue for Healthcare Reform, published with co-author Suzanne Gatteau, he brings to life the negative impact that segregated PH and MH/SUD care has on the lives of patients with medical complexity and outlines the steps that can be taken today which improve health, reduce impairment, and lower health care costs through health service integration.