Advancing Integrated Behavioral Health and Primary Care: The Critical Importance of Behavioral Health in Health Care Policy

Background: Limited research is available around patient experience of integrated behavioral health care in primary care settings. Objective: We sought to identify the major themes through which patients described their integrated behavioral health care experiences as a means of informing and improving clinic processes of integrated health care delivery. Methods: We captured viewpoints from 16 patients who experienced an integrated behavioral health care model from 2 primary care clinics and completed at least 3 visits with a behavioral health provider (BHP). Using grounded theory analyses, we coded and analyzed transcriptions for emergent themes. Analysis: The interview process yielded 3 major themes related to the BHP including (a) the BHPs’ clinic presence made behavioral health care more convenient and accessible, (b) BHPs worked within time and program limitations, and (c) BHPs helped with coping, wellness, and patient-care team communication. Conclusion: The BHPs serving in a large primary care practice and a Federally Qualified Health Center played an important role in connecting patients with behavioral health care and improving care team collaboration, both in terms of communication within the team and between the team and the patient/family.

Download Full-text

The Effects of Implementation of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research Urinary Incontinence Guidelines in Primary Care Practices

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society ◽

10.1046/j.1365-2389.2003.51311.x ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 51 (7) ◽

pp. 979-984 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Deirdre R. Bland ◽

Elizabeth Dugan ◽

Stuart J. Cohen ◽

John Preisser ◽

Cralen C. Davis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Health Care ◽

Urinary Incontinence ◽

Health Care Policy ◽

Care Policy ◽

Care Practices ◽

Primary Care Practices

Download Full-text

PTSD Veterans In Primary Care: Specialty Mental (MH) and Integrated Behavioral Health Care (IBH) Use

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e517322011-460 ◽

2007 ◽

Author(s):

Deborah Coolhart ◽

Paige Ouimette ◽

Kate Strutynski ◽

Allison Swezey ◽

Mary Schohn ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Health Care ◽

Behavioral Health ◽

Behavioral Health Care ◽

Integrated Behavioral Health ◽

Primary Care Specialty

Download Full-text

Practical Approaches for Achieving Integrated Behavioral Health Care in Primary Care Settings

American Journal of Medical Quality ◽

10.1177/1062860615618783 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 117-121 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Anna Ratzliff ◽

Kathryn E. Phillips ◽

Jonathan R. Sugarman ◽

Jürgen Unützer ◽

Edward H. Wagner

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Health Care ◽

Behavioral Health ◽

National Policy ◽

Behavioral Health Care ◽

Safety Net ◽

Patient Centered ◽

Integrated Behavioral Health ◽

Behavioral Health Integration ◽

Primary Care Settings

Behavioral health problems are common, yet most patients do not receive effective treatment in primary care settings. Despite availability of effective models for integrating behavioral health care in primary care settings, uptake has been slow. The Behavioral Health Integration Implementation Guide provides practical guidance for adapting and implementing effective integrated behavioral health care into patient-centered medical homes. The authors gathered input from stakeholders involved in behavioral health integration efforts: safety net providers, subject matter experts in primary care and behavioral health, a behavioral health patient and peer specialist, and state and national policy makers. Stakeholder input informed development of the Behavioral Health Integration Implementation Guide and the GROW Pathway Planning Worksheet. The Behavioral Health Integration Implementation Guide is model neutral and allows organizations to take meaningful steps toward providing integrated care that achieves access and accountability.

Download Full-text

The role of the primary care physician in the Israeli health care system as a ‘gatekeeper’ — the viewpoint of health care policy makers

Health Policy ◽

10.1016/s0168-8510(00)00070-1 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 52 (2) ◽

pp. 73-85 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

H Tabenkin ◽

Revital Gross

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Health Care ◽

Primary Care Physician ◽

Health Care System ◽

Health Care Policy ◽

Care Physician ◽

Care Policy ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Care System

Download Full-text

Patient experience of an integrated care model in a family practice clinic & FQHC

The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine ◽

10.1177/0091217420951059 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 55 (5) ◽

pp. 357-365

Author(s):

Aubry N Koehler ◽

Laura E Sudano ◽

Edward Ip ◽

Stephen W Davis ◽

Gail S Marion ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Health Care ◽

Behavioral Health ◽

Family Practice ◽

Patient Experience ◽

Emotional Health ◽

Behavioral Health Care ◽

Health Conditions ◽

Integrated Behavioral Health ◽

Family Practice Clinic

In order to investigate the patient experience of integrated behavioral health care in primary care settings, we implemented a patient cohort model from a combined site sample (N = 727) consisting of a family practice clinic and a Federally Qualified Health Center. Patient experience was measured using 12 questions from a validated measure, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Consumer Assessment of Health Care Providers and Systems (CAHPS®), Home and Community Based Services version, and six additional questions about interactions with an integrated behavioral health care team. We assessed bivariate relationships between satisfaction with integration and the clinic practice and self-reported physical health or self-reported mental/emotional health. We also utilized multiple regression to evaluate this relationship. Our analyses showed a statistically significant and small to moderate direct correlation between patients’ self-reported health (both physical and mental/emotional health) and their ratings of the practice as a whole (p = .0003), such that patients who rated their physical and/or mental/emotional health as better were more likely to rate their overall satisfaction with the practice higher. The results of this study suggest that primary care patients with only mild to moderate health conditions (physical and/or mental/emotional) may experience greater satisfaction with integrated behavioral health care than patients with multiple and/or severe health conditions. In contrast, patients with multiple and/or severe health conditions may experience lower satisfaction with integrated behavioral health care and may be better served through higher levels of care.

Download Full-text