Coordinating care for medical and behavioral health

CarePartners of Connecticut recognizes that communication and collaboration among primary care physicians, behavioral health care providers, talk therapy specialists, and other health care professionals are key to improving health outcomes, particularly for patients living with chronic physical and/or mental illness. With serious medical conditions and behavioral health disorders often entwined, patients rely on multiple health care providers working together to accurately diagnose and appropriately treat what ails them.

The role of primary care providers is integral to a patient’s overall care plan, from screening for behavioral health issues during yearly visits, to coordinating care with behavioral health specialists. At the same time, behavioral health care providers and prescribers can ensure that baseline and annual metabolic monitoring — for diabetes and cholesterol — is conducted for patients in their care, especially those taking antipsychotic medications who are at greater risk for developing diabetes, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and obesity. 

Coordinating care for a shared patient 

Regular communication among medical and behavioral health care providers tending to a shared patient supports whole-person care and ensures that all relevant clinical information is available when developing a treatment plan. You can use our Coordination of Care Check List (or one of your own) to document, request, and share provider contacts and progress notes, along with patient diagnoses, medications, and other information vital to the treatment of primary care and behavioral health patients. To facilitate the exchange of information, you can request that patients complete an Authorization to Disclose Protected Health Information form.

Contact number for additional guidance  

As a partner in the delivery of health care to your patients, CarePartners of Connecticut appreciates the spirit of collaboration and its role in providing an exceptional health care experience. Whether you are a primary care physician, behavioral health care specialist, or community health practitioner, our Provider Services team is available to assist you with your patient-related inquiries at 888-341-1508.