Physicians at the 2015 AMA Annual Meeting Tuesday called for increased access and coverage of integrated medical and behavioral health care services.
The new policy, outlined in a report from the AMA Council on Medical Service, directs the AMA to urge Medicaid and private health insurers to pay for physical and behavioral health care services provided on the same day. The AMA also will encourage state Medicaid programs to amend plans as needed to include payment for behavioral health care services in school settings in order to identify and treat behavioral health conditions as early as possible.
Finally, the AMA will promote developing sustainable payment models to assist programs that currently rely on short-term funding to continue integrating behavioral health care services into primary care settings.
More than 40 million adults have a mental illness, and 6 million children suffer from an emotional, behavioral or developmental issue. Data shows fewer than one-half of these people receive treatment.
“There is an increased recognition that the health of an individual includes both physical and behavioral components that should be treated holistically,” said Mary Anne McCaffree, MD, member of the AMA Board of Trustees, in a press release. “Since a high prevalence of people with behavioral health disorders are seen by primary care physicians, it’s imperative that we remove any barriers that impede patient access to integrated care services on the same day or in the same setting if they need it.”
“We also want practicing physicians to seek out continuing medical education opportunities on integrated physical and behavioral care,” said Dr. McCaffree. “We believe that with knowledge of these various approaches, physician practices will be better positioned to choose the best integrated treatment options to meet the needs of their patients.”
