WSHA, with help from our partner organizations, has created a template to help providers and Accountable Communities of Health (ACHs) consider critical elements needed for behavioral health integration as they work to submit applications and plan for implementation of the Medicaid demonstration behavioral health integration project.
Behavioral health integration is a major endeavor for primary care providers and systems of care. Resources from the Medicaid demonstration work will assist in driving these important changes through new funding available for planning, training and implementing behavioral health integration into primary care. This work is expected to start soon with implementation for participating providers required by October 2019.
One of the greatest opportunities to come out of the Medicaid demonstration is advancing bidirectional integration of behavioral health services. Following these transformations, patients should experience better integration of their care, both clinically and within the various wraparound services they depend on. Read more in a recent WSHA bulletin. (Chelene Whiteaker)
