The Wall Street Journal (9/25, A4, Beck, Subscription Publication) reports on a movement integrating mental healthcare into primary care practices. This movement is occurring as the US healthcare professionals anticipate seeing many more patients under the Affordable Care Act and its resulting mental health parity. At the same time, providing patients with psychiatric care in the primary care setting would be one way of addressing a US-wide shortage of psychiatrists. Finally, many physical and psychiatric conditions are linked, such as depression and anxiety in patients with heart disease or diabetes, and it makes sense to treat both conditions together. According to the Journal, the American Psychiatric Association has endorsed the integrated care concept.
Related Links:
— “Getting Mental-Health Care at the Doctor’s Office, “Melinda Beck, The Wall Street Journal, September 24, 2013.