The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has reimbursed primary care practices for providing behavioral health services to Medicare beneficiaries since 2018. That’s when the American Medical Association (AMA) and CMS first introduced Current Procedural Terminology (CPT
Evidence is mounting that providing behavioral health services in primary care settings increases access to care, leads to faster time to diagnosis, and provides more effective treatment. Many of the benefits of integrated behavioral health carecome from patients receiving...
In 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began reimbursing practitioners supplying Behavioral Health Integration (BHI) servicesin a primary care setting to Medicare patients with mental, behavioral health or psychiatric conditions. The following year, CMS and...
While many healthcare business lines have adopted and benefited from valuebased payment models, primary care and behavioral health are notable exceptions. For many providers, especially those operating independently, the financial and operational disruption of a new payment...
The links between poor physical and behavioral health are well documented. A report in World Psychiatrynotes that patients with severe behavioral health disorders have a life expectancy up to 25 years shorter than the general population.
In late 2023, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) released new recommendations calling for multiple depression screenings throughout pregnancy and during the postpartum period. In the following Q&A with Thomas Young, MD, chief medical officer of Proem...
For years, health care experts have advocated integrating behavioral health care into primary care. The practice is being promoted by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and is covered by Medicare and some private insurance.
Medicare began reimbursing behavioral health integration (BHI) codes on Jan. 1, 2018. Some private insurers also cover BHI. However, BHI is still new territory for many primary care providers (PCPs). This is changing, however, as PCPs discover the important roleintegrated...
The term “behavioral health” encompasses a wide range of conditions related to mental health, including substance use disorders (SUD). However, behavioral health conditions frequently impact physical illnesses as well. Events such as life stressors and crises (e.g., job loss,...