The United States is facing a healthcare crisis. Costs are escalating at unprecedented rates, and some 40 million Americans are uninsured. Despite staggering costs, accuracy in diagnosis is surprisingly low and the rate of treatment errors is frighteningly high. Integrated care, defined as the better coordination of behavioral health services with medical services, holds much promise in addressing these problems. Clinical research suggests that many patients receiving traditional primary care or specialty care medicine also need behavioral care. Integrated care offers a delivery model that can direct patients to the care they actually need. But how can we move from our divided healthcare delivery system to an integrated care system?
Behavioral Health as Primary Care presents the perspectives of a distinguished group of national experts on the process of integrating behavioral health with primary care. The result of a national conference sponsored by the Nicholas and Dorothy Cummings Foundation and the University of Nevada, Reno, this volume assists practitioners, researchers, administrators, and decision makers in understanding the practical issues surrounding the integration of behavioral healthcare with medical and surgical care.