Delaware County Medicine & Health Winter 2017 - 10

FEATURE

Benefits and Challenges
of Behavioral Health Services
in the Medical Setting
By Vincent J. Bellwoar, Ph.D. & Troy L. Brindle, LCSW

A

key tenet of healthcare reform is the Patient
Centered Medical Home Model (PCMH). Primary
care physicians (PCPs) sit at the epicenter of
this reform as they identify, treat and manage
the patient's overall care. Those who tout healthcare reform
advocate strongly for behavioral health interventions at
the PCP level. To better address these needs, many PCPs
seek to integrate behavioral health (BH) services within
their practice. Emerging models include the use of care
managers, behavioral health specialists, and consultation.
Some large hospital systems or physician practices have
attempted to directly hire BH providers. In doing so, some
have met with success while others continue to struggle. We
believe a viable alternative is for hospitals or physician groups
to partner with independent BH practices who can then
offer	a	range	of 	services	while	also	being	flexible	enough	
to meet patient needs. Partnering allows BH providers to
remain	financially	independent	of 	the	medical	group	while	
aiming for clinically aligned if not integrated services.
Springfield	Psychological	is	a	large	multispecialty	outpatient	
practice that began providing co-located BH services in PCP
offices	throughout	southeastern	PA	in	2013.	We	started	in	
one	PCMH	office	for	four	hours	a	week	after	convincing	
physicians and their staff that co-located BH care would be

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DELAWARE COUNTY MEDICINE & HEALTH

winter 2017

good for their patients, the PCP's stature in the community
and their relationship with insurers. We promised to decrease
their	headaches	by	dealing	with	difficult	patients	whose	
needs went beyond the physicians training and limited
schedules. We advocated that easier access to BH services
would result in healthier patients. We assured them they
could part ways from us immediately if they wanted, or,
more importantly, we could easily replace an ineffective BH
provider	with	another	clinician.	(Sometimes	the	fit	just	isn't	
good, but when that happens, there is no need to shelve the
whole operation.) In short, our philosophy centers on the
belief that BH services in the medical world is a necessity for
healthcare reform, to create a healthier patient population.

With persistence, flexibility and creativity, we won over
the first practice and within four months they were asking us
for more time. In approaching the physician as a consumer,
we spent substantial energies and resources doing what was
necessary to effectively collaborate with them and their patients.
From that first PCMH practice we have expanded to twenty
other PCMH offices and have moved into specialty practices
as well including an Oncology and Hematology group.



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Delaware County Medicine & Health Winter 2017

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https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/delcomed/DelawareMedicalSocietySummerFall2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/delcomed/DelawareMedicalSocietySpring2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/delcomed/DelawareMedicalSocietyFall2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/delcomed/LivingwithLossfromAddiction
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/delcomed/DelcoMedicalSocietySummer2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/delcomed/DelawareCountyMedicalSocietySpring2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/delcomed/DelawareCountyMedicalSocietyWinter2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/delcomed/DelawareCountyMedicalSocietyFall2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/delcomed/DelawareCountyMedicalSocietySummer2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/delcomed/DelcoMedicalSocietySpring2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/delcomed/DelcoMedicalSociety
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/delcomed/DelawareCountyMedicalSocietyWinter2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/delcomed/DelawareCountyMedicalSocietyFall2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/delcomed/DelawareCountyMedicalSocietySpring2017A
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/delcomed/DelawareCountyMedicalSociety
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com