Roger G. Kathol MD, CPE, President of Cartesian Solutions, Inc.™, is an innovative Certified Physician Executive with 30 years' experience in the integration of physical health and mental health/substance use disorders (MH/SUDs). He has expertise in the development and operation of cross-disciplinary programs and services for clinics and hospitals; health plans; software vendors; case, disease, and disability management organizations; employee assistance programs; and employers/government agencies. Through his company, he assists leadership in each of these areas of the health system in different ways:

• Hospitals and clinics — designs and upgrades inpatient and outpatient integrated clinical programs.
• General medical health plans and third party administrators — assists with insourcing carved-out behavioral health and then with the integration of physical health and MH/SUD service support and business practices.
• Care management software vendors — creates integrated software solutions which respond to industry demands for coordinated MH/SUD and physical health assessments, communications, and report generation.
• Case, disease, and disability management and employee assistance programs — institutes measures which facilitate communication and coordination of physical health and MH/SUD services within and among service providers, i.e. breaks down silos.
• Employers/government agencies — redesigns contract benefit language and audits health plans and vendor care management for practices which improve clinical outcomes, increase employee productivity, lower healthcare costs, and allow the measurement of change results

Dr. Kathol served on the Agency for Healthcare Policy and Research Depression Guidelines Panel and was Chairman of the Joint Commission Taskforce on Depression Indicators. He has been President of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine and was the Founding President of the Association of Medicine and Psychiatry. He currently serves as President of the Minnesota Psychiatric Society, is on the Board of the Minnesota Medical Association, and serves on several national Advisory Committees.

With board certification in Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, and Medical Management, Dr. Kathol has developed a unique systems-focused perspective on the integration of physical health and MH/SUD care, which has always been at the center of his professional activity. Since leaving the University of Iowa after 22 years of patient care, he has worked to integrate physical health and MH/SUD business practices as Medical Director at Blue Cross Blue Shield of MN and has completed over 75 integrated care consultations as President of Cartesian Solutions, Inc.™. Recent consultations include: the University of Groningen ( Netherlands ), the Minnesota State Health Plan (MN), Humana (KY), 3M Corporation (MN), University of Virginia (VA), and Corphealth (TX), PrimeWest (MN), East Tennessee State University (TN).

He is currently Adjunct Professor of internal medicine and psychiatry at the University of MN. He has published over 135 peer reviewed articles and 25 book chapters. He recently wrote a book with Suzanne Gatteau titled Healing Body AND Mind for lay and professional audiences. It brings to life the negative impact that segregated care has on the lives of patients with concurrent physical health and MH/SUDs; and outlines the steps needed to improve health, reduce impairment, and lower healthcare costs through health service integration.

Education

• Graduated from the University of Kansas School of Medicine
• Completed internship in internal medicine at Good Samaritan Hospital, Phoenix, AZ
• Residencies in psychiatry and internal medicine at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA.

Disclosure: Shareholder and Owner of Cartesian Solutions, Inc.