Benefits of Integration

Overview of Benefits of Integrating Behavioral Health in PCMH

  • 84% of the time, the 14 most common physical complaints have no identifiable organic etiology. 8
  • 80% of people with a behavioral health disorder will visit primary care at least one time in a calendar year.9
  • 50% of all behavioral health disorders are treated in primary care.6
  • 48% of the appointments for all psychotropic agents are with a non-psychiatric primary care provider.10
  • 67% of people with a behavioral health disorder do not get behavioral health treatment.6
  • 30-50% of referrals from primary care to an outpatient behavioral health clinic do not make the first appointment.11-12
  • Two-thirds of primary care physicians (PCPs) (N=6,660) reported not being able to access outpatient behavioral health for their patients. Shortages of mental health care providers, health plan barriers, and lack of coverage or inadequate coverage were all cited by PCPs as important barriers to mental healthcare access. 13

Financial Benefits of Behavioral Health Integration

  • Medical use decreased 15.7% for those receiving behavioral health treatment, while medical health use increased 12.3% for controls who did not get behavioral health.14
  • Depression treatment in primary care for those with diabetes had $896 lower total healthcare cost over 24 months.15
  • Depression treatment in primary care had $3,300 lower total healthcare cost over 48 months.16
  • Behavioral Health disorders account for half as many disability days as all physical conditions.17
  • Annual medical expenses--chronic medical & behavioral health conditions combined -- cost 46% more than those with only a chronic medical condition.18
  • Of the top five conditions driving overall health cost (work related productivity + medical + pharmacy cost), depression is number one.19