Using the Playbook

The Playbook takes practices step by step through the process of integrating behavioral health care in a primary care practice. At each step of implementation, the Playbook provides tips, resources, and examples for identifying and managing mental health, substance use, and other behavioral health conditions in your primary care setting. The Playbook will help you find your own path for accomplishing integration by applying knowledge about using successful approaches and avoiding possible barriers.

The Playbook also includes many kinds of tools and resources to assist with implementation as external links in each section. Each link is followed by a letter grade, either A or B, which reflects an evaluation of the resource using the following scale:

• A ("tried and tested"): Federal agencies and non-federal organizations recommend the tool/resource, and the peer-reviewed literature provides consistent and strong (meta-analyses, systematic reviews, RCTs) empirical evidence that the tool/resource is helpful.
• B ("promising"): Some peer-reviewed literature provides empirical evidence that the tool/resource may be helpful.

Recognizing that organizations are at different stages of this journey, you can approach the Playbook in a way that best suits your current needs and context. If you are new to integration or prefer a comprehensive approach, you can work through the steps of the Playbook sequentially, building a foundational understanding of each phase. For organizations that have already begun integration efforts, you can jump directly to the sections of the Playbook that address your needs and challenges. You can also customize the Playbook, using the results of the Self-Assessment Checklist for Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care to identify specific areas for improvement.

The process of integration entails working toward a North Star of a seamlessly integrated behavioral health and primary care setting. As a user of the Playbook, we encourage you to revisit the implementation processes as often as needed to refine integration in your setting.

The North Star reflects an ideal integrated behavioral health and primary care setting in which patients have full access to outcome-changing behavioral health services as part of their overall care in a primary care practice.

The North Star for your practice may vary from other practices, while containing similar elements of integrated workflows, care teams, and care coordination. Incorporate integration into your practice in a way that supports the unique mission and values of your organization.

If you are new to integration, the Playbook's steps may require new efforts, while users who have already begun implementing integration can use the Playbook to refine ongoing implementation efforts. Regardless of your practice's present degree of integration, you can revisit the Playbook as an upward spiral, gradually approaching the North Star of an integrated care setting.