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Philadelphia needs more behavioral health providers to bring care for body and mind together

How different are your mind and your body?

How different are your mind and your body? For centuries, health care has treated them separately both in philosophy and practice. Physical ailments were considered different from mental ailments, and they were treated in different ways and by different kinds of practitioners. And just as important, they were reimbursed differently by insurance companies, often with lower limits on payments for behavioral care.

Yet mental illness is a chronic condition with an impact that is comparable to most physical chronic diseases, like cancer and diabetes. It costs government health care programs more than $125 billion a year to treat (not counting spending by private insurers).

Our systems for treating both kinds of ailments might be dramatically improved through better integration. And we may be facing a moment of opportunity to do just that. The combination of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) extends coverage to millions of Americans and places mental health benefits on an equal footing with those for prevention and primary care.

To realize this moment of opportunity, the City of Philadelphia must integrate its general health care and behavioral health services. Mental health czar Dr. Arthur Evans recently proposed seven changes to the City's public health approach to that end, including the adoption of broad and proactive intervention strategies, provision for a continuum of health care in variety of settings, and a focus on the health of populations.

While these steps will clearly help to promote the integration of physical and mental health services, an expansion of the City¹s provider network is also needed. More behavioral health providers should be added to the Community Behavioral Health program to expand access to services. Parity in insurance reimbursement is a good start but is not enough. Patients need access to providers who are convenient and willing to see them.

With steps such as these, the health of Philadelphians can be propelled into a new era in which care for both body and mind are connected.

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