Integrated Care Clinics Improve Access for Vets

Integrated Care Clinics Improve Access for Vets
By RICK NAUERT PHD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on June 13, 2011

Veterans Administration clinics that integrate primary and mental health care are more successful at getting veterans mental health and social work evaluations than a standard VA primary care clinic, according to a study of Iraq and Afghanistan vets.

According to lead author Karen Seal, M.D., M.P.H., under the conventional VA model, patients are seen by a primary care physician and, if they screen positive for mental illness they are referred to a mental health provider.

Notably, the referral appointment would not necessarily be available the same day, nor in the same clinic.

Under the integrated care model, all patients are referred immediately by their primary care physician to a mental health provider, called the “Post-Deployment Stress Specialist,” and a social worker, called the “Combat Case Manager.” All visits take place during the same appointment, in the same clinic, with no waiting.

The study also showed, however, that the rate of follow-up mental health care – the number of subsequent visits with mental health providers that took place after initial evaluation – was not any higher under the integrated care model than under standard care.

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Integrated Care Clinics Improve Access for Vets