Behavioral health integration
Integration of behavioral health services in the primary care setting involves a set of concepts and also a toolkit of evidence-based practices.
At a conceptual level, an integrated practice is one in which psychiatric- and family practice expertise are blended. Each discipline comes to understand and appreciate the medical world view of the other more fully.
But the conceptual rubber meets the concrete road in day-to-day practice. When implemented with reasonable fidelity these concepts and tools improve detection and case finding, decrease access times, and improve quality of care and outcomes.
The application of these concepts and tools to management of psychiatric illness in the primary care setting via integrated care is not something new or unique to behavioral health. It is adaptation to psychiatric conditions of the same chronic care model that is widely and successfully used to manage diabetes, heart disease, asthma, and other chronic conditions. It is what psychiatric management looks like in the medical home.