The lack of access for adequate behavioral healthcare in the United States is not a new problem. Yet the Covid-19 pandemic surfaced and exacerbated economic, social, and political pressures, which led to more people struggling with behavioral health. Despite the surging need for behavioral health care, many perennial access challenges remain:

• Reimbursement for behavioral health services is inconsistent across payers and sites of care.
• Provider shortages continue to limit access to reliable treatment.
• Physical and mental health care services remain fragmented or completely siloed.

This lack of access and care continuity results in a failure to engage patients before their behavioral health needs become severe and costly. But there may be new reason for hope. Behavioral health, a long stigmatized topic, is now at the forefront in entertainment, news, and social media. The pandemic has opened new access points for telehealth and digital behavioral health care. And providers have new ways to better manage behavioral health needs through more traditional venues—including the primary care setting.

Patients routinely turn to primary care to receive behavioral health support, and ample evidence points to the ROI of primary care-based intervention. Yet many primary care physicians’ (PCPs) don't feel adequately prepared to manage their patients behavioral health needs.

To better understand PCPs level of confidence in screening, diagnosing, and treating behavioral health conditions, Advisory Board conducted a national survey of 300 PCPs in early 2021. The results uncovered a number of ways that health plans can help equip primary care teams to better manage low-to-moderate acuity behavioral health needs.