A Continuum-Based Framework as a Practice Assessment Tool for Integration of General Health in Behavioral Health Care

What is it about?

Patients with behavioral health disorders have a higher risks for medical morbidity and mortality because of undertreatment of general health and chronic conditions. A step-by-step continuum-based framework was developed to help behavioral health clinics advance general health integration initiatives. This study recruited eleven licensed behavioral health clinics with experience in general health integration to evaluate the utility of the framework and assess their strengths and opportunities for improvement. Overall, the behavioral health clinics described a positive experience using the framework. The clinics had strengths in these domains: trauma-informed care, self-management support, social service linkages, and quality improvement, and improvement opportunities in screening and referral, evidence-based treatments, care teams, and sustainability.

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