April 19, 2018
Premera conducts an annual provider survey about collaboration between primary care practitioners (PCPs) and behavioral health practitioners (BHPs). You can see our key survey results below.
Why we conduct the survey
You’re on the front lines of behavioral health. When a patient has a behavioral health need, talking with a PCP is often the first step to finding help. Screening for behavioral health disorders during primary care is a widely-recognized standard of care.
Collaboration matters. After you refer your patient to a BHP, ongoing communication and collaboration can greatly improve your patient’s quality of care.
How we conduct the survey
Our vendor, Pacific Market Research, collects data through a telephone survey of PCPs in all service areas. In 2017, the majority (65 percent) respondents were again MDs and DOs.
Highlights of survey findings
Electronic Health Record use
New in 2017, we asked practitioners about their use of Electronic Health Records (EHRs).
Results found that the use of an EHR within organizations is high at 84 percent. One in three, or 32 percent, of PCPs use the same EHR as their BHP colleagues. Among those who use the same EHR, the majority (89 percent) of those PCPs use the EHR to review their patient’s behavioral health information.
Areas for improvement
When referring a patient for BH care, more than 71 percent of the respondents stated they usually or always prepare a summary report to accompany the BH referral. There’s room for improvement in communication in the other direction, from BHPs to PCPs.
PCPs don’t consistently receive status reports from BHPs after patients have been seen or treated. PCPs are more likely to receive a status/ summary report back from an inpatient facility (58 percent), than from a BHP (33 percent), or an outpatient program (30 percent).
Most valuable
PCPs continue to report that medications, treatment plans, and diagnoses are still the most valuable information they receive from BHPs. Forty-six percent of MDs and DOs reported they were satisfied with the information they receive from BHPs.
We continue to encourage all practitioners to share information and improve collaboration for the health, safety, and well-being of patients.