In January 2021, Representative Mike Thompson introduced the Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2021 (H.R. 432) that, among other things, would authorize Medicare payment for covered mental health and substance use services provided by licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFT) and licensed mental health counselors (LMHC. The bill was referred to the Subcommittee on […]
3 minute read The House Committee on Energy and Commerce recently advanced to the house a package of bipartisan legislation geared towards improving mental and behavioral health treatment, as well as providing substance use disorder care. If passed, this bill would have direct impact on integrated care programs throughout the U.S. I will highlight some […]
Five minute read The title of this post is a terrible pick-up line, but it reflects my musings on how we identify patients in primary care who may benefit from behavioral health services. Health screening is standard practice in primary care. We screen for physical health, mental health, substance use, health behaviors, family functioning, social […]
7 minute read Healthcare today is a team activity. The rapid accumulation of specialized knowledge in healthcare has created a substantial need for partnerships between medical and mental health practitioners. Physicians, nurses, psychologists, pharmacists, and other health professionals must work together for patient-centered care to become a reality. These partnerships are best reflected in a […]
Five minute read Most clinicians and managers are not involved in policy-making, a process often compared to sausage production. Yet, healthcare policy impacts all clinicians and other health professionals. Policy is essential for change at the highest levels in our society. Training programs, academic publications, and grant projects cannot hold a candle to the power […]
3 minute read Integrated healthcare is most important for communities with limited access to medical and/or behavioral health services. By making those services available in one place and training a care team to collaborate, vulnerable patients are more likely to get the right treatment at the right time. According to a new report, integration makes […]
3 minute read I am a little late to the game on this 2021 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. But my tardiness does not diminish the appeal of the ideas that jump off the 428-pages of this document. These ideas, if implemented, would terraform the primary care landscape. A reliable […]
2 minute read Government agencies are making large investments to make behavioral health and crisis care services more available to the public. Mental health treatment access is a major barrier for large parts of the United States, including my home state of Arizona, ranked near the bottom in treatment access. I will mention three recent […]
2 minute read New federal funding is available for organizations interested in creating new harm reduction programs for substance use or expanding existing ones. The size and focus of this funding is historic for the US. Eligible applicants are States; local, Tribal, and territorial governments; Tribal organizations; non-profit community-based organizations; and primary and behavioral health […]
2 minute read There has been little movement in the development of well-established couple and family interventions (in context of health) over the past 10 years, according to a 2021 article published by the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. Although several interventions are approaching the level of being well-established, most have limited empirical support. […]
5 minute read The Department of Health and Human Services recently released their new health workforce strategic plan. There is a lot of good information here. I’ll share a few thoughts below. The plan is worth looking over and will undoubtedly inform future federal spending in workforce development. The new plan has four goals: expand […]
2 minute read The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated the list of underlying medical conditions associated with higher risk for severe COVID-19. Their list is based on what has been reported in the scientific literature as of August 31, 2021 and is available here. Mental health disorders (such as mood disorders including depression, […]
If you’re looking for the hottest research, then swipe right here. This serial post covers several categories of research in integrated behavioral healthcare over the past 6-7 months. The top article on my list today is a report of strategies for integrating social care practices into primary care, an example of the expanding role of […]
4 minute read It is no surprise that COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the wellbeing of individuals and families. Overall stress and worry for all Americans increased from 47% in 2019 to 59% in 2020. Two in five individuals reported an adverse mental or behavioral health condition in June 2020 with many linking their symptoms […]
3 minute read Concentration is a scarce commodity in healthcare delivery. Although our systems are flush with data, we can only process a finite amount of information to make clinical decisions for engaging, treating, and monitoring patients in our catchment areas. We screen and triage patients as stewards of scarce resources using measures that we […]
3 minute read Spreading the gospel of care integration is not for sprinters. To be sure, this game is for long distance runners. One of the beauties of integration is that individual clinics and care systems can use whatever model meets the needs of their patients and matches their available resources. This variability, though, also […]
5 minute read. Original post here. In 2018, I had a sweet setup for my work commute. My friend, who also worked downtown, would pick me up at my house, use the carpool lane on the highway, and drop me off in front of my office building. When I offered to pay for gas, he […]
5 minute read. This post is a reproduction of the recent FSH journal newsletter. FSH is the official journal of CFHA. FSH Editors’ Retreat It did not include all the fun times we had last year when we were together in Canada, but we carved out the time and got the work done during two […]
