The Academy for Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care
Mission
The Academy serves as a national resource and coordinating center for those interested in integrating behavioral health into primary care. Integration in this context refers to primary care and behavioral health clinicians working together with patients and families, using a systematic and evidenced-based approach to provide patient-centered care. This care may address mental health and substance abuse conditions, health behaviors (including their contribution to chronic medical illnesses), life stressors and crises, stress-related physical symptoms, and ineffective patterns of health care utilization.
Go to http://integrationacademy.ahrq.gov
Relevance
AHRQ seeks to build a centralized resource hub to provide the tools and materials to advance the field of integration, and to promote a collaborative environment for dialogue and discussion among leaders across behavioral health, and primary healthcare arenas. It is hoped that the Academy will unite this community by providing a forum; serving as a repository for materials professionals in the field want and need; identifying gaps in materials and generating solutions so further progress can be made; and drawing on expertise in the field to make integration efforts as efficient, relevant, and meaningful as possible.
Products
Information on seven aspects of integrating behavioral health and primary care: research, education, policy, financing and sustainability, clinical and community, health information technology, resources, and collaboration--including resources such as, for example:
- The Lexicon for Behavioral Health and Primary Care Integration, a set of concepts and definitions developed by expert consensus for what we mean by behavioral health and primary care integration.
- Atlas of Integrated Behavioral Health Care Quality Measures, a searchable atlas of literature on integration of behavioral health and primary care.
- The Integrated Workforce Functions and Competencies Project, an observational study of real-world practices that are effectively integrating behavioral health into primary care. The resulting competencies and other data can be used to refine the development of training programs and policy.
Audiences
Healthcare providers, researchers, policymakers, consumers
Settings of Care
Physicians’ offices, clinics
