Behavioral Health

Behavioral Health Defined

Behavioral health is integral to overall health as mind and body are inseparable. As a general concept, behavioral health is the reciprocal relationship between human behavior and the well-being of the body, mind, and spirit, whether considered individually or as an integrated whole. For the purposes of this web page, behavioral health is defined to include mental health conditions, including substance use and health behaviors. Behavioral health is the larger construct consisting of any and all mental health conditions.

Behavioral Health in the Medical Home

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Sponsored By:

Staunton Farm Foundation

Thomas Scattergood Behavioral Health Foundation

Thomas Scattergood Behavioral Health Foundation

How to Get involved

To learn more about the Behavioral Health Task Force email Foong-Khwan Siew at [email protected]

  • BH Task Force Calls - Bi-weekly - Thursday, 10 AM EST: 3/11, 3/25, 4/8, 4/22, 5/6, 5/20, 6/3, 6/17, 7/1, 7/15, 7/29, 9/9, 9/23, 10/7, 11/4, 11/18, 12/2, 12/16
    1-712-432-3900 Passcode:  512531#
  • A master schedule of PCPCC calls, meetings, and events can be obtained by clicking here.

PCMH and Behavioral Health: Inseparable

PCMH and Behavioral Health: Inseparable1
Introduction – What is the Patient Centered Medical Home? Why Behavioral Health?

The patient centered medical home (PCMH) is an approach to providing comprehensive primary care for children, youth and adults. The PCMH is a healthcare setting that facilitates partnerships between different healthcare professionals, including primary care providers, individual patients and, when appropriate, the patient’s family.

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), “A patient centered medical home integrates patients as active participants in their own health and well-being. Patients are cared for by a physician who leads the medical team that coordinates all aspects of preventive, acute and chronic needs of patients using the best available evidence and appropriate technology. These relationships offer patients comfort, convenience, and optimal health throughout their lifetimes.”

Question: What do the following three facts have in common?

  • Primary care is the largest platform for healthcare delivery in the United States;2-3
  • The leading preventable cause of death is behavior;4-5 and
  • 50% of all behavioral health is treated in the primary care setting.6

Answer: Behavioral health and primary care are inseparable, and any attempts to separate the two lead to suboptimal care.1

The four major medical societies came together to outline seven joint principles for the PCMH – personal physician, physician directed team, whole person orientation, integrated and/or coordinated care, quality and safety, enhanced access, and payment. While behavioral health integration is not explicitly included in the PCMH principles, if primary care and behavioral health are inseparable then behavioral health must be a core element within the PCMH. The two core principles of the PCMH most apropos to the inclusion of behavioral health are whole person orientation and integrated service delivery.7