Achieving Behavioral Health Care Integration in Rural America

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Provides an overview of behavioral health and primary care integration and how integration may be different in rural areas than in urban and suburban areas. Examines the barriers to integration in rural areas and opportunities for policies that can improve access to care. Offers policy recommendations to better coordinate and integrate primary care and behavioral health services for high-risk groups and expand the ability of primary care providers to handle the lower-acuity behavioral health needs of patients through enhanced payments, training, and improved access to behavioral health providers for consultation and referral. Builds on the March 2021 report, Tackling America's Mental Health and Addiction Crisis Through Primary Care Integration.

Kendall Strong, Michele Gilbert, Julia Harris, et al.

05/2023

Bipartisan Policy Center

Access · Behavioral health · Behavioral health workforce · Federally Qualified Health Centers · Health workforce education and training · Health workforce supply and demand · Integrated service delivery · Medicaid · Medicare · Policy · Primary care · Recruitment and retention of health professionals · Reimbursement and payment models · Rural Health Clinics · Service delivery models · Tribal communities · Veterans