We will report on integration and patient health outcomes from the Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care for Comorbid Behavioral and Medical Problems (IBH-PC) study that ended in 2023. This pragmatic trial, which included 42 primary care practices across the United States, used the Practice Integration Profile as a measure of integration and the PROMIS-29 as a measure of patient health. We found that practices with higher levels of primary care and behavioral health integration have healthier patients. Additionally, we found that practices that engaged with the IBH-PC practice transformation toolkit were able to increase their level of integration. Finally, we found that practices with scores on the Practice Integration Profile > 65 had patients with improved physical and mental health. We will discuss implications of these results for researchers, clinicians, and other stakeholders.
Constance van Eeghen DrPH, MHSA, MBA, Associate Professor, The University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
Littenberg, B., Clifton, J., Crocker, A. M., Baldwin, L.-M., Bonnell, L. N., Breshears, R. E., Callas, P., Chakravarti, P., Clark/Keefe, K., Cohen, D. J., deGruy, F. V., Eidt-Pearson, L., Elder, W., Fox, C., Frisbie, S., Hekman, K., Hitt, J., Jewiss, J., Kaelber, D. C., … Eeghen, C. van. (2023). A Cluster Randomized Trial of Primary Care Practice Redesign to Integrate Behavioral Health for Those Who Need It Most: Patients With Multiple Chronic Conditions. The Annals of Family Medicine, 21(6), 483–495. https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.3027
Mullin, D. J., Hargreaves, L., Auxier, A., Brennhofer, S. A., Hitt, J. R., Kessler, R. S., Littenberg, B., Macchi, C. R., Martin, M., Rose, G., Trembath, F., and Eeghen, C. (2019). Measuring the integration of primary care and behavioral health services. Health Services Research, 54(2), 379–389. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.13117
Hitt, J. R., Brennhofer, S. A., Martin, M. P., Macchi, C. R., Mullin, D., Eeghen, C. van, Littenberg, B., and Kessler, R. S. (2022). Further Experience with the Practice Integration Profile: A Measure of Behavioral Health and Primary Care Integration. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 29(2), 274–284. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-021-09806-z