Entrepreneurs in integrated care face some of the same challenges in empirically demonstrating impact, regardless of the model of care they espouse. In this editorial, 2 leading model developers reflect on the state of the science in primary care integration, including research gaps and promising research underway. We asked these leaders to discuss conceptual areas of shared concern, and we present those with reference to the metaphor of the translational research bridge. Their insights resonate with one another and suggest a role for collaboration to advance empirical support for the implementation of integrated care.

A barrier cited by primary care administrators in integrating behavioral health is financial risk. Fee-for-service billing mechanisms remain complex and there is little empirical guidance on cost-effective models. This study was an economic evaluation of an integrated care model in a pediatric private practice clinic. The study evaluated cost benefits by examining specific delivery indices such as concerns presented, time spent, billing codes used, and reimbursement received in regards to pediatric primary care visits by comparing days when an on-site Behavioral Health Consultant (BHC) was available versus Non-BHC Days. All 3 hypotheses were supported: 1) more patients were seen in clinic on BHC Days; 2) more revenue was generated on BHC Days; and 3) incorporation of the BHC was cost-effective. Findings showed that time saved by having a BHC onsite increased provider productivity, resulting in an additional $1,142 in revenue generated on a BHC Day when compared to a Non-BHC Day.

The Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) model of service delivery is being used increasingly as an effective way to integrate behavioral health services into primary care. Despite its growing popularity, scientifically robust research on the model is lacking. In this article, we provide a qualitative review of published PCBH model research on patient and implementation outcomes. We review common barriers and potential solutions for improving the quantity and quality of PCBH model research, the vital data that need to be collected over the next 10 years, and how to collect those data.

No description available.

Socialstyrelsen menar att primärvården står inför en utmaning att tillgodose tillgänglig psykologisk behandling till ett växande behov. Ett möjligt tillvägagångssätt skulle kunna vara Integrerad beteendehälsa som eftersträvar att kunna erbjuda korta psykologiska interventioner med hög tillgänglighet. Syftet med föreliggande studie var att jämföra två varianter av Integrerad beteendehälsa; ett sedvanligt upplägg med Brief Interventions och ett upplägg med utökad bedömning och möjligheten till vägledd självhjälp för ett specifikt problem. Det här med avseende på generella symtom och symtom specifika för just det problem som patienter erhållit självhjälp för, alternativt bedömts skulle ha passat för självhjälp avseende ett specifikt problem. Resultaten visade att den generella symtomnivån förbättrades för gruppen som helhet, samt inom respektive grupp. Den problemspecifika symtomnivån sjönk för både patienter som erhållit vägledd självhjälp och för patienter som erhållit Brief Interventions men vars problemprofil visat att de hade passat för en specifik självhjälpsmanual. Någon signifikant skillnad i symtomförändring, oavsett generell eller problemspecifik, kunde inte hittas. I diskussionen problematiseras bland annat den interna validiteten och den naturalistiska miljön lyfts som en styrka. / The national board of health and wellfare are stating that primary care faces a major challenge in providing available psychological treatment to an increasing need. One possible approach is Integrated Behavioral Health, which strives towards offering brief psychological interventions with great access. The purpose of the following study was to compare two different methods of Integrated Behavioral Health; an ordinary set up with Brief Interventions and one set up with extended assesment and the possibility of guided self-help treatment for a particular problem. This regarding general as well as specific symptoms for the particular problem the patient has received guided self-help for, or considered to have been suited for. The results showed that the general level of symptoms improved for all patients, merged into one group, and within the respective group. The level of the problem-specific symptom decreased for patients who received guided self-help and for patients who received Brief Interventions, but whose problem profile showed that they had fit for a specific self-help manual. No significant difference in symptom change, regardless of general or problem- specific, could be found. In the discussion, the internal validity is discussed, and the naturalistic environment is described as a strength.

Primärvårdens uppdrag innefattar behandling av psykisk ohälsa och för närvarande överstiger behandlingsbehovet vårdnivåns resurser. Integrerad beteendehälsa (IBH) är en organisationsmodell för primärvård som tidseffektivt tillgängliggör psykologisk behandling. Föreliggande pilotstudie ägde rum under perioden januari till april 2019 på vårdcentralen Centrum, som arbetade enligt modellen för IBH. Syftet för studien var att utvärdera effekterna av behandling med Brief Interventions (BI) respektive vägledd självhjälp avseende patienternas vardagliga funktionsnivå, livskvalitet och symtom. Mätningar genomfördes innan behandling påbörjades, efter fyra veckor samt efter åtta veckor. Vidare undersöktes processfaktorer, så som hur stor andel av patienterna som skulle kunna tillgodogöra sig behandling med självhjälp, samt huruvida införande av en sådan behandling skulle kunna vara motiverad i primärvårdsmiljö utifrån tidseffektivitetsperspektiv. Totalt randomiserades 41 patienter mellan behandling med BI respektive en utökad bedömning följt av behandling med vägledd självhjälp. De patienter som vid den utökade bedömningen inte befanns lämpliga för vägledd självhjälp fick behandling med BI. Sammantaget fullföljde 29 patienter behandling inom ramen för studien. Resultaten visade att både BI och självhjälp förbättrade patienternas vardagliga funktionsnivå, livskvalitet och symtomnivå, samt att det fanns få skillnader i behandlingsutfall mellan grupperna. Tidsåtgången för personalen var större för behandling med självhjälp jämfört med BI. Vidare forskning behövs för att utvärdera psykologisk behandling anpassad till primärvården. / A commitment of primary care is mental health treatment. At present the need for treatment exceeds accessible resources. Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) is a model of organization of primary care with the aim to make access to mental treatment from a time-efficiency perspective. The present study was conducted between January and April 2019 at Vårdcentralen Centrum, a primary care unit organized in accordance with PCBH. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of treatment with Brief Interventions (BI) and guided self-help regarding daily functioning, quality of life and aggregate level of symptoms. Self-assessments were filled out by the patients before treatment, at FU4 and at FU8. Furthermore, proportion of patients suitable for self-help treatment was examined, and whether introduction of such a treatment might be justified in the context of primary care on basis of time effectiveness approach. In overall, 41 patients were randomized to two conditions: BI treatment and, respectively, extended assessment with subsequent self-help treatment. Participants, not found suitable for self-help at the extended assessment, got treatment with BI. Within the study, 29 patients went through treatment. The results showed that groups treated with BI and self-help had improved significantly between before treatment and FU8 regarding daily functioning, quality of life and level of symptoms. There were in general little differences in improvement between the two groups. Furthermore, timescale for the group that got extended assessment and subsequent self-help treatment, was significantly larger than timescale for the group that got BI treatment. For future research, evaluation of short-term forms of mental treatment in primary care ought to be relevant.

No description available.

Decades of research have shown that there are significant advantages to maintaining close communicative and collaborative relationships between primary care and behavioral health providers. Fiscal, structural, and systemic barriers, however, often restrict the degree to which such interprofessional collaboration can occur. In the present study the authors examined relationships between primary care clinics in the Appalachian region’s characteristics (i.e., clinic type, rurality, and clinic size), barriers (i.e., fiscal, structural, and systemic) reported to using increased collaboration, and the level of collaboration used at a particular clinic. For the present study 136 surveys were completed by providers working in primary care practices across the Appalachian region of Tennessee. The results showed that only about one fifth of the primary care clinics in Appalachian Tennessee reported engaging in moderate to high levels of primary care behavioral health (PCBH) collaboration (e.g., colocated or integrated models of care). Among community health clinics, however, nearly half reported moderate or high levels of collaboration. The findings of this study underscore the importance policy change (e.g., changes in reimbursement patterns, increases in incentives, introduction of PCBH models in training programs) in facilitating the uptake of high levels of PCBH collaboration in Appalachian Tennessee (especially in regards to nonpublicly funded clinics). Further, the methodology used in this study could provide policymakers and researchers in other regions of the U.S. with a means for obtaining baseline data regarding local trends in PCBH collaboration and could serve as first step in developing a standardized methodology for comparing the overall uptake of PCBH collaboration models across regions.