Name
Poster 21 - How many BHCs do we need? Behavioral Health Consultant Staffing Ratios within Primary Care Behavioral Health
Date & Time
Friday, October 17, 2025, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Description

As primary care behavioral health (PCBH) has quickly expanded, understanding the workforce needed to deploy the model is limited. The literature review was conducted to summarize the current evidence about behavioral health consultant (BHC) to primary care provider (PCP) ratios within the context of PCBH. The presenter reports on the current state of the literature, gaps in the literature, and proposed next steps to fill these gaps.

Speakers
Samantha Hamburger, Graduate Research Assistant, UNC Department of Family Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Samantha Hamburger
Co-Authors
Kelsey Ross-Dew, Brianna Lombardi
Content Level
Intermediate
Tags
Policy, Primary Care Behavioral Health Model, Sustainability
Session Type
Poster
SIG or Committee
Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH)
Objective 1
Describe the current state of the literature as related to PCBH staffing ratios
Objective 2
Describe the gaps in the current literature as related to PCBH staffing ratios, and potential impacts of these gaps
Objective 3
Describe recommended next steps as related to the PCBH staffing ratio literature
Content Reference 1

Funderburk, J. S., Polaha, J., & Beehler, G. P. (2021). What is the recipe for PCBH? Proposed resources, processes, and expected outcomes. Families, Systems, & Health, 39(4), 551 562. https://doi.org/10.1037/fsh0000669

Content Reference 2

Hunter, C. L., Funderburk, J. S., Polaha, J., Bauman, D., Goodie, J. L., & Hunter, C. M. (2018). Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) Model Research: Current State of the Science and a Call to Action. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 25(2), 127–156. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-017-9512-0

Content Reference 3

Vogel, M. E., Kanzler, K. E., Aikens, J. E., & Goodie, J. L. (2017). Integration of behavioral health and primary care: Current knowledge and future directions. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 40(1), 69–84. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-016-9798-7

Content Reference 4

Robinson, P. J., & Reiter, J. T. (2016). Behavioral Consultation and Primary Care: A Guide to Integrating Services. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3 319-13954-8

Content Reference 5

Serrano, N. (2022, December 7). Primary Care’s Moonshot Program For The Next Decade. Integrated Care News. https://www.integratedcarenews.com/2022/primary-cares moonshot-program-for-the-next-decade/