Health and Disability

Health care delivery systems have been intentionally reorganizing to become more patient-centered, which means that patients’ preferences, needs, and values help guide clinical decisions. Integrating mental health and substance use services into primary care settings, also known as behavioral health integration (BHI), is a core component of such efforts. To identify where BHI has been successful and where there is still room for improvement, we should have a clear idea of what BHI is and understand what policies exist or are needed to implement BHI. This issue brief provides an overview of BHI, including how it is defined and why it is important for improving patient care.