Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH)

The Montana Primary Care Association is dedicated to the advancement of integrated behavioral health services (mental health, substance use disorders, medication for opioid use disorders) in primary care settings. The goal of primary care is to treat the whole person through maximizing a team-based approach and integrating behavioral health, dental, and resource support services. The MPCA offers training and technical support to organizations who desire to implement or increase their delivery of integrated services and reach quadruple AIM outcomes: enhancing the patient experience, reducing costs, improving healthcare outcomes, and improving the clinician experience.

IBH is a team-based approach that provides real-time teamwork with shared care plans as a standard approach to care for designated populations. This model combines a multidisciplinary team that integrates treatment strategies and interventions to provide whole person care rather than treating isolated symptoms or diagnoses. Treating these complex and/or chronic illnesses with a team approach is an innovative and evidence-based best practice in the primary care setting.

IBH services combine medical and behavioral health services for problematic, chronic, comorbid conditions to patients presenting in a primary care setting, including stressed-linked physical symptoms, health behaviors, mental health (MH) or substance use disorders (SUD). We know emotional health is connected to our physical health, hence having a multidisciplinary team providing services in one setting provides comprehensive care when working with people to improve the quality of their lives.

For immediate and specific resources please email your IBH team ibhresources@mtpca.org

Integrated care enhances the primary care team through:

  • Expanding identification/screening for behavioral health/substance use disorders;
  • Improving outcomes for both physical and behavioral health diagnosis;
  • Avoiding hospital admissions and readmission;
  • Reducing emergency room utilization for patients of the primary care practice; and
  • Preparing the practice for value-based payment models, case rate and episode-base reimbursement.

Integrated care helps organizations to:

  • Improve access and efficiency;
  • Increase clinical effectiveness;
  • Reduce per patient per month (PPM) costs; and
  • Develop clean, clear, and defined team communication which produce improved outcomes and service quality.