November 2014 | Joel C. Cantor | Opinion: The Importance of Behavioral Healthcare in Hospital Use and Cost
Over the course of the many years that I have been involved in healthcare, I have heard complaints about the adequacy of services for people with mental-health and substance-abuse problems. Most of those reading this column will have heard about or even directly experienced these problems — trying to find a compatible mental-health provider for a family member in distress or talking with a friend or family member who is a mental-health provider complaining about challenges paying practice expenses in light of low insurer payment rates.
A new report by the Center for State Health Policy puts a fine point on the importance of ensuring accessibility of behavioral health services that are well coordinated and integrated with physical healthcare. The report examined the extent of behavioral health diagnoses among high users of hospital care and people with potentially avoidable hospitalizations.