Psychiatrists can be paid for providing mental health services in an integrated primary care-behavioral health setting if they prove to payers that they offer added value in the form of better outcomes, said psychiatrist Roger Kathol, M.D., president of Cartesian Solutions Inc., during a presentation yesterday on “Financing Primary Care Collaboration: What are the Options?” at APA's Institute on Psychiatric Services in San Francisco. Kathol said there was considerable data showing that integrating psychiatric care with primary care does add value, but he noted that only a minority of psychiatrists were aware that integration is the way of the future. The presentation was part of a major Integrated Care Track at the institute. More information on this topic is posted in Psychiatric News. Look for further coverage in future issues.
(Image: Mark Moran)