Why Care Coordination is Important for Your Behavioral Health

If you have a behavioral health condition, it’s important to visit your provider regularly to make sure your treatment is working. And if you have other medical issues, it is important to balance those needs with your mental health care.

What is Care Coordination?

Care coordination happens when all of your providers have the same information about your health needs and preferences. When your behavioral health, medical, and pharmacy providers all have access to your health records, they can work together to improve your care.

For example, you may be seeing a primary care provider (PCP), a psychiatrist, and another specialist. It is important to tell each provider about all the medications you are taking. That way, they can let you know if there are any concerns with potential side effects. Care coordination might also include dealing with non-medical challenges, like getting rides to the doctor.

To share your health records with all your providers, you will need to sign a release form. You can decide what information you want to share with each provider. Make sure each provider has a full list of the other providers you see, along with a list of your health conditions.

Keeping Track of Your Care

It’s also a good idea for you to keep your own notes about the care you receive. Here are a few tools that can help:

• Preparing for Appointments – write down questions you want to ask your providers, and make a list of your upcoming appointment dates.
• Complete Care Plan – list your medications, providers, care preferences, and emergency contacts in one place.
• Medication Record – make detailed notes about the medicines you take.
• Coordination of Care/Treatment Summary Form – used to facilitate communication between medical and behavioral health providers..

Do you need help managing your care?

PCHP’s Service Coordination Program helps members understand and manage their complex health conditions. To learn more, call Member Services at 1-888-672-2277 (STAR) or 1-888-814-2352 (CHIP).