Project Aim
Defining Care Coordination
- The linking of health care visits and services so that patients receive appropriate care for all their health problems, physical as well as mental.
- The essence of coordination is “the availability of information about prior and existing problems and services and the recognition of that information as it bears on needs for current care”
Why Is Care Coordination So Difficult?
- Accountability for the process is shared – who is responsible for making it work well
- PCPs no longer have the personal relationships with consultants and hospitals that make communication easier
- The added time and effort required to achieve an effective referral /consultation or transition is generally not reimbursed
- Primary Care practices do not have the dedicated personnel or information infrastructure to coordinate care effectively
Why Is Behavioral Health and Primary Care Coordination Important
Integrating mental health services into primary care is the most viable way of closing the treatment gap and ensuring that people get the mental health care they need.
To be fully effective and efficient, primary care for mental health must be coordinated with a network of services at different levels of care and complemented by broader health system development.
Mental health is central to the values and principles of the Alma Ata Declaration; holistic care will never be achieved until mental health is integrated into primary care.
Despite the potential to successfully treat mental disorders, only a small minority of those in need receive even the most basic treatment.