The Cribsiders S7 Ep170: Bridging the Gap: Integrated Behavioral Health in Primary Care
Mar 11, 2026
Dr. Jen Mautone, pediatric school psychologist and researcher who co-directs CHOP’s integrated behavioral health program. She discusses what integrated behavioral health looks like in primary care. Short scenes cover models from co-location to full integration. Conversations include structuring visits, who can provide care, implementation hurdles, billing challenges, and equity and tech-forward future directions.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Integration Improves Engagement And Family Confidence
- Integrated care shows patient-level improvements beyond symptom reduction, including reduced stigma and increased parent self-efficacy.
- Programs that support families also improve broader pediatric engagement and preventive care metrics.
Prepare The Practice For Operational Change
- Assess practice readiness and operational impact before placing a behavioral clinician in primary care.
- Plan for scheduling changes, triage calls, reporting lines, and which department the clinician reports to.
Payment Systems Limit Preventive Behavioral Care
- Financial sustainability depends on state insurance structure and payment models; many places cannot bill preventive behavioral visits without a psychiatric diagnosis.
- This creates a mismatch: we can reduce future costs but can't always bill for preventive work today.
