The Behavioral Health Integration in Pediatric Primary Care project (BHI) is a two-year quality improvement (QI) initiative that seeks to integrate behavioral health services for young children in the pediatric setting.
BHI is a prevention-focused program that emphasizes early identification of emerging behavioral and emotional health problems through the inclusion of a mental health professional in the pediatric care team. BHI promotes brief but impactful interventions to children and families at risk for mental health problems. The primary focus of these interventions is to strengthen parenting skills and issue more timely referrals so that children are provided the environments they need to have healthy developmental trajectories.
The Ohio Department of Medicaid has partnered with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) to develop a change package of BHI procedures for pediatric sites. CCHMC will utilize QI strategies to engage three high-volume Medicaid pediatric clinics in a multi-phase expansion of BHI at their site. Throughout the phases of implementation, processes and content will be systematically and incrementally tested and changed to optimize BHI procedures and outcomes. The Government Resource Center (GRC) will conduct an evaluation at the end of the project implementation period to determine the effectiveness of the intervention.
