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    Integrated Care

    Mental health is essential to improving overall health outcomes across the lifespan. Integrated care is a general term for any attempt to fully or partially blend behavioral health services with general and/or specialty medical services.

    Integrated care enhances how medical teams address both physical and mental health needs, resulting in improved overall health outcomes. This approach helps surface conditions like depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders early, enabling timely and effective intervention that supports whole-person care.

    Scroll to read more on integrated care, or explore more integrated care topics at the links below:

    Implementing Integrated Care

    The Collaborative Care Model

    Improving Access and Educating Medical Professionals

    Integrated Care can support the quintuple aim of healthcare*:

    Improved Patient Outcomes

    Early detection and management improve health outcomes, reduce symptom chronicity, and increase patient satisfaction.

    Lower Healthcare Costs

    Integrated care reduces the need for costly, intensive mental health services and mitigates the high medical costs associated with untreated psychiatric illness.

    Enhanced Provider Satisfaction

    Integrated care decreases the administrative burden on primary care providers, particularly for high-utilizing patients with complex medical and psychiatric needs, enhancing provider satisfaction and sustainability.

    Higher Patient Satisfaction

    Integrated care enhances the patient experience by providing convenient, integrated care that addresses both physical and mental health needs, fostering trust and engagement.

    Equitable Access and Standardized Care

    Integrated care democratizes access to mental health assessment and treatment, minimizing variations in care and promoting health equity.

    *Source

    Nundy S, Cooper LA, Mate KS. The Quintuple Aim for Health Care Improvement: A New Imperative to Advance Health Equity. JAMA. 2022;327(6):521–522. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.25181

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    Elements of Integrated Care

    Integrated care leverages key strategies to identify and manage mental health conditions within primary care settings:

    • Measurement-Based Care

      Routine use of validated tools to screen and monitor mental health symptoms, ensuring treatment is adjusted to meet clinical goals.

    • Early Identification of Psychiatric Conditions

      Regular screenings detect underlying mental health issues before they become chronic.

    • Population-Focused Care

      Integration efforts focus on systematically identifying and managing mental health needs across the patient population, rather than addressing these issues only when patients raise them.

    • Team-Based Multidisciplinary Care

      Collaboration between primary care providers and behavioral health specialists creates a cohesive team approach to patient care.

    • Patient-Centered Care

      The integrated care approach places patient needs, preferences, and values at the forefront of treatment planning.

    • Accountable Care

      Integrated care models emphasize measurable outcomes and accountability for both physical and mental health, supporting a holistic approach to quality improvement.

    Further Reading and Resources

    Economic Impact of Integrated Medical-Behavioral Healthcare Implications for Psychiatry

    This report from Milliman, updated in 2017, "...uses healthcare cost and utilization data to project spending estimates for people with chronic medical and comorbid behavioral conditions in 2017."

    APA Summary of Milliman Report (.pdf)

    Summary of Milliman's original 2014 report by the American Psychiatric Association.

    What Is It Like To Be a Psychiatrist in an Integrated Care Setting?

    In this APA Member-Only Policy & Practice Webinar, you'll learn about different strategies for integrating care; practical how-tos for integrating mental health and physical health care; and the impacts of integration on patients, psychiatrists, and other clinicians.

    Medical leadership for mind, brain and body.

    Join Today