Tampa General's new behavioral health model: What to know

Tampa General is working to embed behavioral health services within each of its primary care practices by the end of 2025. 

In late December 2024, the health system announced its partnership with evolvedMD, a behavioral health resource company, to enable patients to access mental health services alongside routine medical care. The integrated model launched in October at a Tampa General Medical Group office in St. Petersburg, with plans to expand to more than 20 practices throughout the year. 

"Initial feedback from the primary care teams has been very positive in terms of having availability of therapists to help support their patients, which they did not have before," Karna Patel, MD, vice president of Tampa General and president of Tampa General Medical Group, told Becker's.

"We plan to continue to get feedback from the teams, primary care providers and patients, and evaluate opportunities for improvement as we move forward and deploy the services elsewhere throughout our primary care network." 

Here's how it works: When primary care providers identify a need for mental health support, they can refer patients directly to the embedded behavioral health team. Licensed psychiatrists, social workers and counselors coordinate patient care together. The team includes a care manager who works closely with a psychiatrist on treatment, and a care navigator who handles follow-up appointments and manages treatment plans. The behavioral health providers are hired by evolvedMD, and co-manage the program alongside Tampa General employees. 

"Without this model, [behavioral health] patients were getting lost and having challenges with access," Dr. Patel said. "This is a more proactive approach where patients are getting timely access with the right provider." 

By connecting patients to care in the appropriate setting as early as possible, the health system anticipates a reduction in the number of patients arriving at the emergency department in mental health crises — a major challenge for health systems across the country.  

"If we can provide access and care from the beginning in a corrective way, hopefully we can control the condition optimally and prevent crisis situations in the first place," Dr. Patel said. 

Over the past few years, worsening ED boarding and hospital capacity strain have put a spotlight on the nation's behavioral health crisis. As such, health system leaders have poured more resources and energy into creating more points of access for behavioral health patients.   

Investments in mental health services also align with the healthcare industry's shift toward value-based care models, Dr. Patel said.

"Investing in behavioral health is not only the right thing for patients, but also for health systems and healthcare in general," he said. "It can help reduce the cost of care and prevent avoidable care at the hospital and other high acuity settings."

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