Policymakers and Payers

Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care: Better Care and Health for the Whole Person

This issue brief provides best practices from health insurance providers related to integrating behavioral health and primary care to improve health outcomes, including potential policy solutions and opportunities.

Fact Sheet: President Biden to Announce Strategy to Address Our National Mental Health Crisis, As Part of Unity Agenda in His First State of the Union

Statement from the White House that describes the President's strategy to address the national mental health crisis by strengthening the healthcare system, connecting more people to mental health care, and transforming health and social services infrastructure to address mental health equitably

Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT)

Provides information on the EPSDT benefit for children under age 21 enrolled in Medicaid, including guidelines and strategy guides for State programs

Designing, Implementing and Sustaining Physical Health-Behavioral Health Integration: The Comprehensive Healthcare Integration Framework

This framework guides the implementation of integration of physical and behavioral health (including mental health and substance use) for all child and adult populations. The framework can be used by any provider in a broad range of settings and organizations.

Combating a Crisis by Integrating Mental Health Services and Primary Care

Describes the needed paradigm shift towards behavioral health integration with primary care and discusses key policy and financing challenges to behavioral health integration

Coding for Behavioral Health Integration Services

Provides information about coding for payment and reimbursement of behavioral health integration (BHI) services, including general BHI and collaborative care management

CMS Behavioral Health Strategy

Summarizes the goals, objectives, and supporting activities of the CMS Behavioral Health Strategy, which aims to support a person's whole emotional and mental well-being through covering multiple elements, including access to prevention and treatment services for substance use disorders, mental health services, crisis intervention, and pain care

Behavioral Health Integration Services

This publication offers guidance on updated descriptions from CMS of most commonly used reimbursement codes for behavioral health integration services, including those related to substance use disorder.

Behavioral Health and Primary Care Integration in Rural Health Facilities: Policy Brief and Recommendations to the Secretary

Offers policy recommendations for increasing behavioral health and primary care integration in rural areas. Recommendations include access, workforce recruitment and retention, telehealth and technology, and reimbursement

An Introduction Into Behavioral Health and Primary Care Integration

Presents information about the benefits of behavioral health and primary care integration for improving the health and well-being of communities, including a discussion about potential federal policy opportunities

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