The Results Are In: Why Primary Care Must Integrate Behavioral Health Now

Do health systems ask too much of its primary care physicians? Absolutely.

A new Medscape survey reflects this reality. Over half of PCPs say their patients frequently need mental health care. And while 84% acknowledge playing a key role in providing that care, they’re often expected to diagnose and treat mental health conditions—on top of their patients’ physical health needs and mounting administrative tasks—all within a 15–20-minute visit.

It’s no surprise, then, that 80% say the growing demand for mental health care contributes to their own burnout and stress.

I’m a psychiatrist and 15-20 minutes isn’t nearly enough. Not even close.

I’ve treated anxiety disorders for more than 20 years. Psychiatric intakes alone typically take at least an hour. Follow-ups may last 20 or 30 minutes. If we keep asking PCPs to achieve the same outcomes in far less time, we shouldn’t be surprised when they plan to stop seeing patientsin the near future.

During COVID-19, many health systems shifted to team-centric models to re-balance workloads and support physician well-being. That’s why we saw more pharmacists, dieticians, and even behavioral health clinicians working in primary care clinics.

What’s interesting to me, though, is that The American Academy of Family Physicians refer to behavioral health specialists as an “optional resource.”

I know firsthand that behavioral health clinicians are essential, not optional.

I’ve spent much of my career working directly with patients, but since 2016, I’ve been pushing to address the behavioral health gap in primary care through the Collaborative Care Model (CoCM). I helped establish and expand the use of CoCM billing codes and received a federal grant to train thousands of clinicians nationwide on the model.

At a glance CoCM is clinically validated, increases access, and delivers meaningful improvements for patients with depression and anxiety in primary care clinics. It’s also highly effective for PCPs on the brink of burnout.

As Clinical Advisor turned Chief Medical Officer at evolvedMD, my focus is strengthening CoCM to better support care teams. We’ve seen measurable improvements, especially for primary care physicians.

At evolvedMD, we embed Behavioral Health Managers into primary care practices, with Care Coordinators, Psychiatric Consultants, and other licensed professionals available as patient’s behavioral health needs grow more complex. We emphasize shared workflows, routine collaboration, measurement-based care, psychiatric med management, and structured team-based support.

Our approach to CoCM has proven effective for both patients and PCPs alike. To start, our model delivers strong clinical outcomes for patients with a 63% response remission for depression and anxiety, as well as total cost of care savings up to 15% which is good for the healthcare system as a whole.

For PCPs, no longer having to shoulder clinical responsibility of behavioral health needs alone makes a meaningful difference. With immediate access to behavioral health support, the PCPs we support:

• Are 3-4x more likely to engage behavioral health services, avoiding unnecessary referrals.
• Enjoy 17% stronger patient-PCP relationships, achieving better patient retention.
• Gain back significantly more time to focus on physical health care, enabling them to perform at the top of their license.

Dr. Tiffany Pankow, VP Chief of Caregiver Wellness at HonorHealth, one of our long-time primary care partners of nearly six years, shared that, “Integrating behavioral health helped us further our commitment to maintaining our staff’s overall happiness in the workplace so they can consistently deliver high-quality patient care.”

Taking it a step further, last year we launched a psychiatric medication management service for patients with complex psychopharmacological needs who are too complex for the collaborative care model. While technically a separate service, it’s integrated into our existing CoCM model with a direct line of communication to PCPs so that, once stabilized, patients enjoy a smooth transition back to primary care. Again, patients get the help they need, the care gap shrinks, and PCPs enjoy more time to focus on what they do best.

Health systems already know that primary care plays a critical role in mental health.

The question is whether we’ll continue asking PCPs to do more with less, or finally integrate behavioral health to better support them and their patients? If the Medscape survey is any indication, the current model isn’t sustainable, and without team-based behavioral health integration, it won’t change.

If you’d like to learn more about how team-based CoCM can transform care and relieve pressure on PCPs, please free to connect with our team at hello@evolvedmd.com.

About Tristan Gorrindo, MD

As evolvedMD’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Gorrindo’s mission is simple: Transform the experience of behavioral healthcare in the primary care setting. With a background in academic psychiatry and federal grant leadership, Dr. Gorrindo has worked across sectors — from Harvard Medical School to the American Psychiatric Association — always focused on implementing scalable solutions for complex mental health needs. A Collaborative Care champion, he is also a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist, still in clinical practice.