It is well known that the integration of primary care and behavioral health is critical to improving health outcomes and reducing health care costs, especially with a staggering 25% of the U.S. population affected by mental illness. Oftentimes, patients can delay seeking necessary care for several reasons – they lack access to specialized mental health services, are not aware of their illness, or are affected by the stigma still associated with mental illness. As a result, nearly 60% of those who do receive treatment for mental illness will seek those services in a primary care setting.
Including mental health staff on care teams to assist with screening, counseling, and care coordination.
In this eHealth Innovation Profile, the PCPCC presents a story from Twin City Pediatrics (“Twin City”) located in Winston-Salem, NC; a group of three pediatric practices that have leveraged eHealth and care team strategies to improve the care experience for patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). Using the medical home philosophy as a framework, Twin City’s care team has evolved to include care coordinators with mental health expertise, and adopted patient registries, risk stratification, and a patient portal to proactively manage patients and communicate effectively with parents and caregivers.
The Twin City story is an exemplary case of how pediatric health professionals can be instrumental in detecting and treating mental illness at an early age, while providing a supportive and comfortable environment for patients and families.
ADHD: Clinical Practice Guidelines for Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Treatment, Pediatrics, 2011.
Mental Health Screening and Assessment Tools for Primary Care, Pediatrics, 2010. A resource that lists mental health screening tools for primary care professionals.
Feelings Need Check Ups Too, A toolkit from the American Academy of Pediatrics that includes diagnostic tools, treatment algorithms, and other resources.
What do we mean by behavioral health integration with primary care? Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, April 2013. Provides a set of concepts and definitions developed by expert consensus for defining behavioral health and primary care integration.
For more information and resources visit PCPCC’s Behavioral Health Special Interest Group.