Kenneth Minkoff, MD is a board-certified psychiatrist with a certificate of additional qualifications in addiction psychiatry. Ken is a dedicated community psychiatrist, and currently is a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is recognized as one of the nation’s leading experts on integrated treatment for individuals with complex (co-occurring) needs, including mental health and substance use conditions. In addition, Ken is the leading expert on the development of integrated systems of care through the implementation of a national consensus best practice model for systems design: The Comprehensive Continuous Integrated Systems of Care (CCISC), referenced in SAMHSA’s Report to Congress on Co-occurring Disorders (2002). Ken expanded on the CCISC framework for treatment of co-occurring disorders to a disease and recovery model with parallel phases of treatment and recovery for each condition. Early advances in care for individuals with complex needs were published in a book co-edited by Dr. Minkoff and Dr. Robert Drake, MD titled Dual Diagnosis of Major Mental Illness and Substance Disorders (1991).
In addition, Dr. Minkoff has developed considerable expertise in public and private managed care. He co-edited, with David Pollak, MD, Managed Mental Health Care in the Public Sector: A Survival Manual (Harwood Academic Publishers, Gordon & Breach, 1997), and participated in the development of LOCUS (Level of Care Utilization System) as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Community Psychiatrists (AACP). Dr. Minkoff also participated in a national task force, chaired by Dr. David Mee-Lee to create the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) Patient Placement Criteria (PPC-2R) (1999), incorporating co-occurring disorders into national utilization management guidelines for addiction treatment, and introducing the concepts of Dual Diagnosis Capability (DDC) and Dual Diagnosis Enhanced (DDE) as program standards to be utilized to design a system of care for individuals with co-occurring disorders. Combining his expertise in complex care and managed care, Dr. Minkoff was panel chair for CMHS Managed Care Initiative report entitled: Co-occurring Psychiatric and Substance Disorders in Managed Care Systems: Standards of Care, Practice Guidelines, Workforce Competencies and Training Curricula (1998).
Ken’s major professional activity is the provision of consultation and training on clinical services and systems design for individuals with complex (co-occurring) conditions. Ken has had a consulting partner of many years, Christie Cline, MD, MBA, President of ZiaPartners and former Medical Director of the Behavioral Health Services Division of the New Mexico Department of Public Health. Drs. Minkoff and Cline have developed a systems change toolkit for CCISC implementation. Both have provided consultation for CCISC implementation in over 20 states in the US, three Canadian provinces, and several states in Australia. Dr. Minkoff and Dr. Cline are content experts for several organizations, such as the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute for Texas and the worldwide consulting firm, The McKinsey Group. Dr. Minkoff along with Dr. Cline have written many contemporary articles and papers on welcoming and integrated systems and services for individuals and their families with complex needs. Citations are included on this website.
Dr. Minkoff is also a member of the Committee on Psychiatry and the Community for the Group for Advancement of Psychiatry(GAP) (1982-present), and chaired the committee for the report entitled: A Resident’s Guide to the Treatment of People with Chronic Mental Illness (1993). As well, he is the co-chair of the subcommittee, Psychiatry and the Community, which recently published works titled People with Mental Illness in the Justice System: A Cry for Help.