What Primary Care May Look Like in the Future: Integrative Care for All
The recent surge in common mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression, while
having a limited number of mental health specialists has resulted in many individuals having to seek treatment of such disorders by their Primary Care Provider (PCP). Current research conducted by Physicians, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, and health systems experts have attempted to develop the means to combat the rising rate of mental health disorder seen in the population. Thus a newer model of primary care that integrates behavioral health alongside primary care as a means of preventing, managing, and treating both physical and mental illness within the primary care clinic setting.
What is Primary Care?
Primary Care as defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): Primary Care: Health services that cover a range of prevention, wellness, and treatment for common illnesses. Primary care providers include doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. They often maintain long-term relationships with patients and treat a range of health-related issues. These providers may also coordinate a patient’s care with specialists (1).
All individuals will have to be in contact with primary care at some point within their lives. As detailed by the CMS, Primary care handles the majority of health concerns for all individuals. Serving as the first and main point of contact for all individuals, primary care has the largest patient population of any specialty. In addition almost all diseases and disorders go through primary care physicians, including mental health. Researchers from the University of Rochester found that individuals with paired physical and mental diagnosis requiring chronic follow-up and often had received treatment from primary care providers for their chronic physical conditions and were unable to see psychiatrists for their mental health concerns (2). So these researchers aimed to solve the issue by developing an integrated model of care that spans both behavioral and primary care known as Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH).
What is Behavioral Health?
Behavioral Health is an umbrella term that includes mental health and substance abuse conditions, life stressors and crises, stress-related physical symptoms, and health behaviors.
Behavioral health conditions often affect medical illnesses (3). It encompasses any and all factors that could alter behaviors for better or worse regarding health related concerns.
For example, a chronic substance use disorder is classified as a behavioral health concern and is diagnosed as a psychiatric condition. This is because the individual’s health is at risk due to individual choices. Further, it encompasses the source of the issue. Continuing the prior example, if an individual is known to have a substance use disorder, what factors in their life are resulting in it occurring in the first place? Possible triggers that could worsen it?
Behavioral Health takes a look at all these factors and how they could then result or are related to other conditions, such as depression or liver failure. That is the reason it is separate from psychiatric care as behavioral health encompasses both the mental and physical aspects of disease and attempts to understand how each can affect another. For example, chronic disorders such as diabetes or even seriously debilitating illnesses such as cancer are known causes of behavioral health concerns as they themselves could be sources of stress and result in a depressive outlook on life. Which in the end can spiral into a worsening condition as both an individual begins to exhibit mental and physical symptoms.
Behavioral health is ever present in individuals and can result in the worsening of physical disorders due to a variety of reasons. Because of this effect, it has become a mainstream concern for medical providers to be able to improve a patient’s condition and meet their needs.
How Are Primary Care & Behavioral Health Related?
Mentioned in a prior example was diabetes being a cause for a behavioral health concern. Type II diabetes is a chronic condition often managed by a primary care provider. A diagnosis and the symptoms of chronic diabetes can result in a worsen physical condition which can weaken quality of life. As a result individuals may begin to experience difficulty in coping with stress and even experiencing mental health concerns as a result. As stated by the previously mentioned Researchers at Rochester, “The high rate of depression, anxiety, and other comorbid psychiatric conditions in individuals with pediatric-onset illnesses and developmental disabilities impact multiple factors including overall health, well-being, pain, and quality of life.”(2). Both can feed into each other and the development of comorbid psychiatric conditions can result in increased difficulty in treating conditions such as diabetes.
As providers continue to adopt a patient centered model, it becomes more and more imperative for PCPs to help patients both maintain strong physical and mental health for being able to have the highest quality of life and well-being. Therefore, the adoption and development of integrated behavioral health clinics could provide a solution to patients suffering from both and be able to support them in their journey of managing both mental and physical illness.
Integrated Model and What that Means for Patients and Providers of the Future
Returning to the researchers at Rochester, they developed a system of integrated health care where both mental health and PCPs worked together to manage the physical and mental aspects of their condition. They reported success in this endeavor detailing that patients found comfort in the unique care model and worked to improve their ability to connect with both PCPs and behavioral health staff. As mental health continues to be one of the core pillars of wellness and improving overall health there is a greater need to have primary care mental health specialists who can support patients from all age ranges, ethnic groups, and social status.
As described by Integration Academy “Care is delivered by these integrated teams in the primary care setting unless patients request or require specialty services. The advantage is better coordination and communication, while working toward one set of overall health goals.” (3). Burdened by long wait times and difficulty seeking specialists providing points of care that can meet multiple concerns for patients through different providers in the same clinic. Further this means if a provider spots a concern for a patient that the behavioral health team is best suited for or vice versa then it will be significantly easier for patients to have the care they need.
Overall, the Integrated Model for Behavioral Health and Primary Care boosts many possible benefits to patients if appropriately implanted. The potential to address a variety of patient concerns in a single visit may assist in alleviating the burden patients have in finding care for their concerns. Further, the teams can work together to understand patients in a holistic manner, building a stronger relationship between patients and their primary care center and taking steps to address mental health concerns for all.
References
1. Primary Care | CMS.
https://www.cms.gov/priorities/innovation/key-concepts/primary-care (accessed 13 June2026).
2. Holderle KE, Poleshuck E, Rosenberg T, Pulcino T. Integrated Behavioral Health in Primary Care for Adults with Complex Childhood Onset Medical and Developmental Diagnoses. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 2022; 29: 586–595.
3. What is Integrated Behavioral Health? | The Academy.
https://integrationacademy.ahrq.gov/about/integrated-behavioral-health (accessed 13 June2026).
4. blueBriX. Whole person care: integrating behavioral health into primary care. blueBriX. https://bluebrix.health/articles/whole-person-care-integrating-behavioral-health-into-prim ary-care (accessed 13 June 2026). (Source for image)
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