Primary care providers are now delivering 60% of mental health care, despite not being trained as specialists. Organizational support and evidence-based solutions can help them shoulder some of this burden.
The evolving role of the primary care provider
The role of primary care provider (PCP) in the healthcare ecosystem has changed from what we may have traditionally envisioned. Particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic and regarding mental health.
Post-pandemic, 23% of adults in the U.S. are living with mental health challenges or illnesses, and yet only 28% of the population lives in an area with enough specialized mental health professional support to get the care they need.
What that means is mental health care is shifting into the primary care setting. Up to 40% of patients seen by a PCP or an advanced practice provider report a mental health concern. The pressure of that demand for support and services is landing firmly on PCPs, and as a result, they’re becoming the front line of mental health. Despite not having specialized training, and in many cases having limited support, PCPs today are delivering an astounding 60% of mental health care and writing 79% of prescriptions for antidepressants.
And yet, their window for providing patient care is not expanding to support this new need.
PCPs typically are only scheduled 15 minutes with each patient, with median visits estimated to last 18 minutes. In that time, they are expected to accomplish:
- Patient history review
- Review of systems
- Preventive care
- Medication history review
- Prescription adjustments and refills
- Physical exam
- Diagnosis and treatment
- Diagnostic test orders
- Referral orders
- Health counseling
- Addressing patient questions and concerns
- Social determinants of health assessment
- Follow-up planning
- Visit documentation
- And now … mental health support
As an industry, we need to make sure that they have the right tools to support what is a growing patient need and potential cause of professional stress and burnout.