Foundation Program Sites

Behavioral Health Integration

Congratulations to our 2024 Bree Collaborative award winner for Best Practices in Behavioral Health Integration into Primary Care:

  • Community Health Plan of Washington
  • Kaiser Permanente
  • MultiCare
  • United Healthcare

(Adopted March 2017)

Many Americans experience depression, anxiety, substance abuse and other behavioral health disorders in their lifetimes, but few are screened within primary care and even fewer are able to access comprehensive treatment. Integrating behavioral health services into primary care has been shown to be more patient-centered, helping those in need access services, resulting in healthier patients and healthier populations. This workgroup met from April 2016 to March 2017 to define integrated behavioral health care, create a common vocabulary, and developed eight common elements that outline a minimum standard of integrated care including for:

  • Integrated care team
  • Patient access to behavioral health as a routine part of care
  • Accessibility and sharing of patient information
  • Practice access to psychiatric services
  • Operational systems and workflows to support population-based care
  • Evidence-based treatments
  • Patient involvement in care
  • Data for quality improvement

Implementation Tools

Behavioral Health Integration Webinar

Supporting Materials

Letter from Health Care Authority Accepting Behavioral Health Integration Recommendations
Behavioral
Health Charter and Roster
Behavioral Health Integration Core Process Measures
Behavioral Health Integration Guideline Checklist

Workgroup Members

Member Title Organization
Brad Berry Executive Director Consumer Voices Are Born
Regina Bonnevie, MD Medical Director Peninsula Community Health Services
Michelle Guerra, MD Senior Clinician Premera
Larry Marx, MD Medical Director, Behavioral Health Support Services Kaiser Permanente
Rose Ness, MA, LMHC, CDP Behavioral Health Expert Sound Integration for Behavioral Healthcare
Kim McDermott, MD Physician NeighborCare
Mary Kay O’Neill MD, MBA Partner Mercer
Joe Roszak  CEO Kitsap Mental Health Services
Anna Ratzliff, MD, PhD/
Anne Shields, MHA, RN
Director of the UW Integrated Care Training Program, Associate Director for Education/Associate Director AIMS Center, University of Washington
Jeff Reiter,  PhD Lead Psychologist Swedish Medical Services
Julie Rickard, PhD Program Director of Integrated Behavioral Services Confluence Health
Brian Sandoval, PsyD Behavioral Health Manager, Oregon and Washington Services Yakima Valley Farmworkers Clinics
Lani Spencer, RN, MHA Vice President Health Care Management Services, Amerigroup –Washington
Emily Transue, MD, MHA  Senior Medical Director Coordinated Care
Melet Whinston, MD Medical Director United Health Care