Integrated Primary Care: Bringing Mental Health Care to those Who Need It

One of the best-known findings from epidemiologic research is that most mental disorders present in primary care and are either not recognized or remain untreated or undertreated. Most individuals referred to mental health specialists either do not show up for care or do not engage. Although a great deal of energy is currently being devoted to making the business case for integrating mental health into primary care, reimbursement alone will not improve care unless the delivery system changes. Merely moving mental health services into primary care, is of little value. It is critical to address the clinical and operational aspects of integrated care, which is very different than traditional mental health care. This webinar will briefly review the evidence, provide an overview of some of the approaches taken in successful systems and highlight the current efforts in the Veterans Health Administration, the largest integrated healthcare system in the U.S. and a recognized leader in integrated primary care. Although VHA is a single payer capitated system, many of the lessons learned can be applied in the fee for service environment as well.

This webinar is presented by The Office of Integrated Healthcare Research and Policy in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. The webinar series is made possible with funding from the California Mental Health Services Authority Integrated Behavioral Health Project in partnership with the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association, the AHRQ Academy for Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care, and the Advancing Care Together project of UC-Denver Dept. of Family Medicine.