Addressing Mental Health Concerns in Primary Care ─ A Clinician's Toolkit

Addressing Mental Health Concerns in Primary Care brings together a myriad of ready-to-use resources and tools on one instant-access CD-ROM. Toolkit includes: screening, assessment instruments, quick-reference, care management advice, step-by-step care plans, time-saving documentation and referral tools, coding aids, billing and payment tips, parent handouts, community resource guides…and much more. Algorithm-based guidance, indexed toCPT codes, outlines a process for care and billing. Succinct clinical tools provide step-by-step decision support for assessment and care of children with the most common mental health symptoms:anxiety, depression, disruptive behavior and aggression, inattention and impulsivity, substance use, learning difficulties, andsocial-emotional problems in young children. Tools and resources can be printed and distributed as needed. Many will be continuously refreshed through Web-based updates. This toolkit is intended to enhance the quality of mental health care children and adolescents receive, whether in the medical home itself or through the medical home.

The toolkit has been organized according to the chronic care principles and has 5 sections:

Community Resources provides templates for creating an inventory of community mental health resources, a description of key services needed by children and families with mental health concerns, and guidance to assist clinicians in developing collaborative relationships with community providers of key services.

Health Care Financing assists the primary care clinician in creating a business framework for the mental health services provided by the practice. It provides guidance in addressing third-party payment issues and provides resources to assist with coding and billing effectively.

Support for Children and Families provides resources to engage families in help-seeking and self-help and ensure the family-friendliness of the practice. It also includes resources to address stigma, confidentiality, and the needs of adolescents and special populations; and tools to identify children involved in the specialty system, ensure a positive first contact with the practice, assist families in the referral process, and assess the quality of mental health care provided in the practice.

Clinical Information Systems/Delivery System Redesign provides resources to create registries of children with mental health problems; use office systems to track children referred for specialty care and monitor those on psychosocial therapy and psychotropic medications; put into place a plan for managing psychiatric and social emergencies; develop collaborative care plans; and prepare for participation in the full range of integrated models.

Decision Support for Clinicians provides resources to assist clinicians in selecting validated functional assessment tools, screening and surveillance instruments, and instruments to assess children whose screening results or clinical findings suggest the presence of a mental health or substance abuse problem; identify reliable, current sources of information concerning diagnostic classification of mental health problems and evidence about the safety and efficacy of treatment; develop and implement evidence-based protocols; and establish a consultative relationship with a psychiatrist.