Strategies for Integrating and Coordinating Care for Behavioral Health Populations: Case Studies of Four States

Several states are implementing strategies to overcome the historical lack of alignment in the financing and delivery of physical health, behavioral health, and supportive services for individuals with behavioral health conditions. These strategies include introducing care coordination mechanisms, enhanced payment to providers to deliver comprehensive services, and the full integration of physical and behavioral health services in managed care contracts. This project conducted an environmental scan and discussions with state officials and other stakeholders in Louisiana, North Carolina, Tennessee and Vermont to describe each state’s approach to integrating and coordinating care for behavioral health populations. The case studies describe each program’s goals, financing, covered services, care coordination and integration mechanisms, information systems and data collection infrastructure, and quality monitoring practices. The case studies also provide some insights into implementation successes and challenges and identify opportunities for further research.