Poster 21 – Implementation of Integrated Behavioral Health in a Family Medicine Residency Clinic

Summary

The overall goal of this quality improvement (QI) project was to improve integration of behavioral health services into a family medicine residency training clinic using the Primary Care Behavioral Health Model. This quality improvement project was facilitated by the clinic’s participation in the Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care (IBH-PC) study, a 24-month pragmatic, multisite intervention study funded by the Patient Centered outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Our clinic served as a control site for the IBH-PC study, therefore, this QI project took place after the completion of data collection for the IBH-PC study. The initial QI team consisted of a psychologist, research/clinical pharmacist, and a QI coach. The QI team utilized several QI tools, a planning workbook, and educational modules available to our clinic as part of the IBH-PC study. A behavioral health integration workflow and information document were developed, presented during an all-clinic meeting, and implemented. In conjunction with this QI project, a formal postdoctoral fellowship for a psychologist in training was developed in addition to hiring a part-time LMSW. Additional implementation steps, challenges encountered, and lessons learned will be described. Following implementation, there was an increase in warm handoff referrals, curbside consultations, and patient visits with behavioral healthcare providers. Variations in utilization of behavioral health services have occurred between primary care providers. Other strategies for successful integration of behavioral health services will be described.