Mental health issues have become an increasing problem for members, providers and health care systems. Studies show that increased screening by primary care providers, decreased stigmatization of mental illness, and co-location of mental health services with physical health services all help increase the likelihood that members will get the care that they need.
As an integrated health care organization, Kaiser Permanente already has a complete continuum of care for behavioral health issues from self-management to inpatient hospitalization. These resources, combined with Kaiser Permanente’s integrated data systems, affords us the opportunity to be the national leader in this area.
The newly formed, CMI-led Integrated Behavioral Health Initiative is an effort designed to position mental health screening and treatment as mainstays of care delivery within Primary Care (Adult and Pediatric). The group, comprised of interregional Behavioral Health and Primary Care Clinicians, aims to:
- Develop internal benchmarking to assess the outcome and effectiveness of treatments across conditions.
- Develop disease specific treatment tracks.
- Establish a core set of standardized group psychotherapy services to be offered reliably across Kaiser Permanente.