Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care: Lessons from Colorado

Colorado is placing a big bet on the expected benefits of integrating primary care and behavioral health care.

Integration is a focus of Colorado’s $65 million State Innovation Model (SIM) award. And many practices across the state are already innovating around integration.

The Colorado Health Institute (CHI) studied six practices that are testing an array of approaches to integration, tailoring models to their locations, their client populations, their workplace cultures and their available resources, among other considerations.

CHI released its report today, "New Models for Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care: Lessons from Six Colorado Health Care Providers." 

Based on the research, CHI identified five critical success factors:

• Align the level of integration with patient needs and practice capacity.
• Innovate and adapt both the workforce and the workplace.
• Create new funding models that support integration.
• Recognize that patient numbers impact integration potential.
• Lead creatively and learn constantly.

While each of the six practices is unique and is in different places along the integration continuum, CHI found at least two things in common.

Each practice demonstrates how communities are developing local health care solutions to meet local needs. And each has lessons for Colorado’s policymakers, health care leaders and practices just beginning the integration journey.

Read a blog by the paper's author, Senior Analyst and Communications Specialist Anna Vigran.

In addition to the new report, CHI has also created a new behavioral health data workbook that breaks data down by the state's 21 Health Statistics Regions.

Need More Information?

Media Contact: Deborah Goeken, Senior Director of Communications, goekend@coloradohealthinstitute.org or (720) 382-7094.