FQHC Behavioral Health Options: BHI & CoCM

Behavioral Health Integration (BHI) is a field within the wider practice of high-quality, coordinated health care. It describes any situation in which behavioral health and health providers work together to improve patient care. BHI involves a team of primary care and behavioral health clinicians working together with patients and families, using a systematic and cost-effective approach to provide patient-centered care.¹ BHI is an effective strategy in improving outcomes for the millions of Americans with mental or behavioral health conditions. See Certintell’s BHI solution

Psychiatric Collaborative Care Model (CoCM) is considered to be an effective and efficient way of delivering integrated care for more complex patient behavioral health needs. CoCM is a model of BHI that enhances “usual” primary care by adding two key services: care management support for patients receiving behavioral health treatment and regular psychiatric inter-specialty consultation to the primary care team.

This model is directed towards patients with conditions that are not improving. CoCM provides care management support to beneficiaries along with regular psychiatric inter-specialty consultation to the primary care team for beneficiaries whose conditions are not improving. Beneficiaries that qualify to receive BHI services may have any mental, behavioral health, or psychiatric condition, including substance abuse disorders.² See CoCM solution

Psychiatric CoCM (HCPCS code G0512): “60 minutes or more of clinical staff time for psychiatric cocm services directed by an fqhc practitioner (physician, np, pa, or cnm) and including services furnished by a behavioral health care manager and consultation with a psychiatric consultant, per calendar month.” See the American Medical Association’s website for an updated list of codes and subsequent payments here.

² Dennis, D. (2019, June 24). 2018 Updates to Medicare’s Behavioral Health Integration Program. Retrieved from https://www.avicenna-medical.com/blog/2018-updates-to-the-behavioral-health-integration-model