American College of Physicians Calls for Better Integration

On June 30 the American College of Physicians issued a position paper calling for better integration of behavioral health into primary care; The Integration of Care for Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Other Behavioral Health Conditions into Primary Care: American College of Physicians Position Paper. It provides an environmental scan of the current state of conditions included in the concept of behavioral health, and examines the arguments for and barriers to increased integration into primary care. It also examines various approaches of integrated care delivery and offers a series of policy recommendations that are based on the reviewed information and evidence to inform the actions of the American College of Physicians and its members regarding advocacy, research, and practice. A summary of the paper is in today’s Annals of Internal Medicine online edition.