The challenge

Many PCPs don’t feel comfortable screening for, diagnosing, or treating behavioral health conditions because they feel they lack the adequate training or experience. And yet, not all patients can wait for a specialist appointment, so PCPs need expanded training in behavioral health care.

The organization

Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) is a large Medicaid plan based in Rancho Cucamonga in southern California. They serve 1.3 million members in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, offering access to over 6,000 providers.

The approach

IEHP funds scholarships for a year-long course from University of California, Irvine (UCI) designed to teach PCPs and other providers tools for recognizing, diagnosing, and treating a variety of behavioral health conditions. The program not only trains PCPs on the basics of psychiatry, but also encourages them to share their knowledge with peers.

The result

The scholarships have created many positive results, according to surveys fellows take before, during, and after the fellowship. Before the fellowship, 70% of respondents expressed strong dissatisfaction with their overall knowledge base in psychiatry. After the fellowship, that figure dropped to only 2%.