Health care often functions in silos with providers treating physical, psychological, social, and behavioral symptoms independently.
Behavioral health encompasses a wide range of social and emotional well-being, including mental health conditions, substance use disorders, behavioral patterns, trauma, physical symptoms related to stress, and more. It's essential to recognize that these behavioral health factors can significantly impact overall physical health as well. Integrated behavioral health brings together medical care and support for mental health conditions in a single setting. This approach, known as whole-person care, is a transformative way to provide quality health care that looks at all aspects of a person's well-being.
Approximately 70% of patients visit a primary care provider with psychosocial concerns.
- Many also have long-term health conditions, which can complicate treatment if they don't receive comprehensive, whole-person care.
- Patients with substance use disorders (SUD) have often had their mental health needs treated separately from their SUD rather than through an integrated approach.
- For individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, navigating primary health care can be especially challenging.
- People with serious mental illnesses may also struggle to access healthcare, potentially reducing their lifespan by up to 25 years.
What Does Integrated Care Look Like?
Integrated care can look different depending on the clinic and patient needs. Medical and behavioral health professionals often work alongside patients and families to tackle health concerns together. You can find integrated behavioral health in primary care and specialized areas like pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, oncology, cardiology, and rehabilitation.
At its core, the goal is to provide patients with accessible and affordable evidence-based services—reaching as many people as possible in a given population or for those with a specifically targeted condition. It also aims to help clinicians and staff feel more comfortable with whole-person care and to reduce the stigma associated with behavioral health.
Outcomes for integrating behavioral health into primary care can vary based on the program and the model used. Overall, patients often experience improved quality of life and day-to-day functioning, along with lower hospitalization and readmission rates. Disease-specific patient outcomes have primarily focused on chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, and diabetes.
Most integrated care models encourage brief interventions with patients demonstrating long-term gains (two years post-treatment (Ray-Sannerud et al., 2012). Through the support and additional expertise of behavioral health clinicians, integrated primary care also improves the primary care providers' experience (Reiter, 2013). Research and experience have shown that integrated care enhances the patient experience and improves the overall functioning of clinical systems.