Behavioral health integration and guidance (BHIG) initiative

BHIG was developed through years of collaborative planning, with the goal of redirecting where and when mental and behavioral health conditions in youth are detected and treated. BHIG aims to develop capacity within pediatric primary care to detect and treat behavioral health conditions and to improve access to care when referrals are necessary.

We’ll do this through:

• Computer-based training opportunities

• Peer-to-peer learning communities

• Opportunities to shadow integrated care providers

• Opportunities to receive implementation-related technical assistance

• Receiving 17.5 hours of continuing education credits

• Receiving one-on-one technical assistance on implementing various integrated care models in your clinic

• Learning how to bill for components of integrated care, including but not limited to assessments and the collaborative care model

• Access to a peer learning community to act as support and sounding boards through the process of innovation and implementing components of integrated care.

• Access to our child psychiatrist for patients who cannot be successfully managed in primary care

• High levels of utilization of behavioral health screening tools were reported, including an increase in providers billing for their use of screening codes.

• More providers reported being able to diagnose and treat more patients with depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, and trauma than they had prior to training.

• The percentage of providers prescribing medications for behavioral health diagnoses increased for depression and anxiety.

• “I have an increased understanding of changing medications when one isn’t working.”

• “I’ve increased my screening of suicidality at routine check-ups.”

• “I have additional resources to educate families and now provide bibliotherapy at early stages of depression and anxiety to intervene more quickly.”

• “I now focus on things that give my patients with depression joy, rather than dwelling so much on everything that causes them to struggle.”

• “I can evaluate Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder in my school-age patients and explain to parents how to treat it.”

• Any pediatric primary care provider who has a strong interest in mental health and integrated care can participate, including:

  • Pediatricians

  • Family medicine physicians

  • Nurse practitioners

  • Physician assistants

  No prior experience providing integrated care is necessary.

We estimate your time commitment to be about 18 hours over a 6-month period to complete the modules, attend the case discussions, provide feedback, and earn your CME credit. After that, you can invest more time as you like in obtaining a live patient consultation or guidance in making specific collaborative care changes in your practice.

Here are a few other expectations of BHIG participants:

• To implement – with support from BHIG Initiative staff – components of integrated care that are a good fit for your practice.

• Be a champion for integrated care among pediatric primary care colleagues.

• The Integrated and Collaborative Care Model

• Billing for integrated and collaborative care

• Measurement-based care

• Adverse childhood experiences

• Depression and anxiety in young children

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Substance abuse diagnosis and treatment

• Autism

• Attention disorders

If you are interested in becoming a member, please fill out the enrollment form or email us at bhig@childrens.com

The BHIG Initiative and the Child Psychiatry Access Network (CPAN) are two different but complementary initiatives.

• CPAN supports pediatric primary care providers by providing them with a resource for free consultations with psychiatrists and clinical therapists at regional "hubs" regarding patients with a mental health concern. These regional hubs are supported by Texas medical schools.

• BHIG is the next step in integrated care. BHIG encourages providers to enroll with CPAN and use the telephone-based clinical consultation and care coordination features. In addition, BHIG offers:

  • Individual technical assistance to practices seeking to implement other models and components of integrated care

  • Peer-to-peer learning opportunities to support providers that are comfortable treating children and youth with more complex behavioral health needs

  • An integrated care clinic where providers can shadow other physicians delivering integrated care, receive a virtual consultation and where they may refer patients whose needs are more complex.

There is no cost to participate in BHIG.