Webinar
Moving behavioral health care upstream
Hear why integrating behavioral health into primary care can create opportunities for earlier detection, intervention and prevention.
Health systems often encounter behavioral health needs after patients have already reached higher-acuity, more resource-intensive settings. What if more of that care could begin earlier?
In this webinar clip, Earl E. Walker, Jr. of Bayhealth discusses the opportunity to “front-load” behavioral health services by integrating behavioral health professionals into primary care.
The goal is to identify and address behavioral health needs earlier through detection, intervention and prevention rather than relying primarily on more reactive care later in the continuum.
Earl also emphasizes the importance of measuring the impact of this approach, including whether earlier intervention ultimately contributes to fewer emergency department visits and demonstrates value further downstream.
What you’ll hear in this clip
- Why health systems should consider moving behavioral health resources earlier in the care continuum
- The opportunity to integrate behavioral health into primary care
- How earlier detection and intervention can support a more proactive approach
- Why behavioral health care can become more expensive as patients move to higher levels of care
- The importance of measuring downstream impact, including ED utilization