Behavioral health integration: What's stopping health care providers?

When talking about the need to improve the U.S. health care system, there’s no shortage of aspects to address. Of increasing focus in recent years has been the need to integrate mental and behavioral health as elements of preventive care during a primary care visit.

For decades, mental health has been relegated to its own category, often not covered by insurance and difficult to access by patients. While the Mental Health Parity Act improved access to these resources, the disconnect between mental and physical health has persisted. However, health industry stakeholders have increasingly called for the integration of mental and physical health services, recognizing the potential impact on overall health and health care costs.

Related: Why more employers and insurers are turning to integrated health care

A recent study in the Annals of Internal Medicine attempted to identify the factors limiting increased integration. By surveying physicians and other stakeholders representing a range of practice setting, they found that, while providers are interested in offering more integrated services to better meet patient needs and improve their own reputation, there are obstacles standing in the way. These include:

• Cultural differences
• Poor communication between behavioral and non-behavioral providers
• Billing difficulties
• Lack of positive financial return

“Tailored, context-specific technical support to guide practices’ implementation and payment models that improve the business case for practices may enhance the dissemination and long-term sustainability of behavioral health integration,” the authors conclude.

Read more: 

• Employers recognize mental health as good business strategy, come up short on health strategy
• Recognizing employee barriers to mental health services
• Employers seek cost control through chronic-condition management, integrated well-being