(Adopted March 2017)

Many Americans experience depression, anxiety, substance abuse and other behavioral health disorders in their lifetimes, but few are screened within primary care and even fewer are able to access comprehensive treatment. Integrating behavioral health services into primary care has been shown to be more patient-centered, helping those in need access services, resulting in healthier patients and healthier populations. This workgroup met from April 2016 to March 2017 to define integrated behavioral health care, create a common vocabulary, and developed eight common elements that outline a minimum standard of integrated care including for:

• Integrated care team
• Patient access to behavioral health as a routine part of care
• Accessibility and sharing of patient information
• Practice access to psychiatric services
• Operational systems and workflows to support population-based care
• Evidence-based treatments
• Patient involvement in care
• Data for quality improvement

Implementation Tools

Behavioral Health Integration Webinar

Supporting Materials

Letter from Health Care Authority Accepting Behavioral Health Integration Recommendations
Behavioral Health Charter and Roster
Behavioral Health Integration Core Process Measures
Behavioral Health Integration Guideline Checklist

Workgroup Members