Presented by Jane Meschan Foy, MD, FAAP and Marian F. Earls, MD, FAAP

Many patient-centered medical home (PCMH) demonstration projects have been initiated across the United States. Although a few have included treatment for depressive disorders as a component of a larger intervention (Bitton et al, 2010), most have not explicitly addressed mental health. Consensus has yet to emerge on whether strategies used to deliver mental health treatment in primary care are consistent with the core elements of the PCMH or the extent to which adoption of the PCMH concept will facilitate the delivery of such treatment in primary care. To address the following 4 questions, this webinar examines the PCMH concept and successful approaches to delivering mental health treatment in primary care:

1. Why should mental health problems be priorities for the PCMH?
2. Are evidence-based strategies used to deliver mental health treatment in primary care consistent with PCMH core components?
3. How can the PCMH meet the needs of diverse patient populations with complex mental health and related problems?
4. What policy and programmatic actions are needed to ensure the feasibility of integrating mental health treatment into the PCMH?

OBJECTIVES

• Raise awareness of the need for mental health care in the medical home setting.
• Prevent patient harm by implementing patient safety techniques.
• Improve health care outcomes by adhering to proven best practices for integrating mental health services into your medical home.
• Promote mental health in your medical home.

INTENDED AUDIENCE
Physicians, clinic administrators, clinic managers, business office managers, and other clinic staff who are involved with patient care