Primary care behavioral health in the time of COVID-19

ABSTRACT

People are commonly receiving mental health treatment from primary care providers rather than from behavioral health providers. To address this issue, the healthcare system has begun to integrate behavioral health providers into primary care clinics, known as integrated primary care (IPC). Research suggests that IPC can lead to a number of benefits, including increased likelihood of patients receiving the appropriate standard of care, as well as reduction in healthcare costs due to medical cost offset. While IPC is a promising method of healthcare delivery, additional research is needed to optimize this system. Additionally, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically impacted the mental and physical health needs of the United States population, especially for low income and racial and ethnic minority populations. However, there is little research on how this has impacted the presenting problems seen in IPC, or how IPC utilization may have been impacted. This study will examine patient characteristics and IPC utilization of two clinics serving a low income and racial and ethnic minority population and assess how patient and provider characteristics are impacting the process of IPC. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)