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If you are a physician or work in a primary care setting, you probably know
about the importance of early identification and treatment of certain health
issues. But did you know that health plans rarely require screenings for
behavioral health issues?
According to a Brandeis University study published in the July issue of the
Journal of General Internal Medicine, screening for mental health and substance
abuse disorders can improve detection and is the first step to receiving
treatment.
The study also found that health plans rarely require screening for these
issues in primary care settings.
“Only a fraction of those who need services for behavioral health conditions
receive treatment, in part because their need for services is not recognized.
Screening could increase problem recognition and open the door for getting into
treatment,” said lead study author Constance Horgan, director of the Institute
for Behavioral Health at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at
Brandeis.
According to Horgan, having health plans require primary care providers screen
patients could help identify more people with these conditions, and since these
practitioners usually have access to a large part of the population, Horgan
recommends that patients be routinely screened in these settings.
“Over two-thirds of adults have an appointment for routine care in a year. Not
screening in this setting represents a missed opportunity,” she said.
“Screening combined with appropriate interventions has demonstrated benefit.”
To help address this issue, Screening for Mental Health, Inc. is offering
primary care providers the opportunity to download free materials to make
routine mental health screening easy. Materials include screening forms,
clinician and patient education materials, and promotional materials. PCPs can
use these complimentary materials throughout the year, and/or to coincide with
national campaigns such as National Depression Screening Day. To access the
free materials,
sign up online.
One of the reasons why health plans don’t require primary care physicians to
screen for mental health issues is the pressure to deliver an array of services
in a very compressed period of time. “Under these circumstances, mental health
and substance use screening may not be done unless there is strong suspicion of
a problem. Also, the provider may be unsure about the best options to pursue if
the screen is positive,” she said.
However, screening can be done quickly and efficiently with the downloadable
materials provided. The screening form can be completed by the patient in the
waiting room and scored by an administrative or medical assistant. By the time
the clinician actually sees the patient, the completed form is in the chart.
Educational materials are also available on what to do when a patient scores
positive.
“As with other illnesses such as cancer or hypertension, the early detection of
mental health disorders greatly increases the chances that an individual will
receive the appropriate treatment and experience a better quality of life,”
said Douglas G. Jacobs, M.D., Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at
Harvard Medical School and founder of Screening for Mental Health, Inc.
”Primary care providers can take advantage of this free program to ease the
screening process.”
For more information on the Brandeis University study, go to Health Plan Requirements for Mental Health and Substance Use
Screening in Primary Care. For more information on SMH’s primary care
program visit the SMH
website, or call (781) 239-0071.
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Screening for Mental Health, Inc.
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