The Use of Behavioral Health Rating Scales for Primary Care Providers

In recent years, there has been a shift in U.S. healthcare to increase accountability in care by requiring objective measurement and documentation of disease state improvement for payment. While the implementation of objective measures for physical disease has been relatively straightforward, integration of ongoing, objective measurement of behavioral health outcomes in primary care settings has been slower. This slow uptake may be at least partially due to the limited training that most primary care providers receive in behavioral health assessment. In this manuscript we review existing literature on the effectiveness of behavioral health-related measurement-based care (MBC), discuss the challenges associated with its adoption in primary care settings, review recommended behavioral health rating scales, and present a case example to illustrate how behavioral health MBC may improve care. Finally, we discuss recommendations for incorporating behavioral health MBC into practice in a manner that is beneficial for the patient, provider, and health system.