Hospitals around the country continue to pursue a comprehensive approach toward health care. This approach has led to hospitals integrating behavioral health across the industry.
The Integration of Behavioral Health Across the Health Care Industry
The health care industry has been pursuing a way to make health care more comprehensive. This has led to hospitals integrating behavioral health across the industry. The goal is to provide patients with the services that they need when they need them.
Behavioral Health Illness Issues
Integrating behavioral health into hospital health care systems is the next logical step. This is even more apparent considering that one out of every four Americans experiences some kind of behavioral health problem or substance use disorder. Unfortunately, many of these people enter care without ever having their underlying behavioral health issues addressed.
The Path to Integration
Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to how hospitals should modify their current health care delivery system to include behavioral health. It’s important for hospitals to remember that simply maintaining the status quo isn’t an option. The industry and environment are always changing. If hospitals aren’t striving to be ahead of the game, they get left behind.
Why Supporting Behavioral Health Is Essential
Behavioral health is a growing concern among people in the health care industry. In fact, studies show that depression is the third-most common reason that people visit a health care center. Diabetes and hypertension are the most common reasons. While huge steps are being taken to combat the first two issues, little has been done to combat behavioral health issues.
Behavioral health has a huge impact on people; it can help combat problems such as substance abuse, depression and anxiety. Combating depression is important because suicide is a major health concern.
On the Right Path
Many hospitals are already on the right path. In fact, nearly 70 percent of all HRSA-supported hospitals in the country offer some kind of mental health treatment and therapy. On top of this, nearly 40 percent of these hospitals also offer substance abuse counseling. An estimated 4,000 people work in hospitals and provide behavioral health therapy as well.
References:
[1] http://www.hpoe.org/Reports-HPOE/Behavioral%20health%20FINAL.pdf
[2] https://www.hrsa.gov/publichealth/clinical/BehavioralHealth/index.html