Mission Statement:

"Our mission is to promote behavioral health across the lifespan through easy access and excellent, interdisciplinary and integrated care.  We are committed to providing the highest quality of Assessment, Consultation, and Therapy services. We work in collaboration with the primary care and specialty physicians, as well as community agencies to foster patient wellness and satisfaction in a warm, therapeutic, and respectful manner.”

What is Primary Care Psychology?

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A Primary Care Psychologist refers to a psychologist with specialist training in psychological disorders presenting to primary care services. Your primary care psychologist is a practitioner who has specialized skills in the psychological assessment and intervention of common health problems of patients and families throughout the lifespan. Primary Care Psychologists are also referred to as Behavioral Health Psychologists. Primary Care is the initial point of consultation with a health professional trained to provide primary medical care within a health care system. The services of primary care physicians include:
  • First contact of any undiagnosed health concerns
  • Both preventative and curative care
  • Continuous and coordinated care for the patient
  • The primary care point of service is the Patient-Centered Medical Home where integration of psychology and other disciplines improve the quality of health care and lives of patients

Integration of Psychology Into Primary Care:

Integration of Primary Care Behavioral Health Specialists into the primary care and specialty settings will enhance the quality of patient treatment at their primary care physician’s office in keeping with philosophy of the Patient Centered Medical Home.
  • Primary care patient populations have significant psychological needs that have largely been unaddressed
  • Offers access to specialty mental health care
  • Stigmatization is reduced or eliminated when the psychologist is part of the health care team
  • More services available to be delivered to more people
  • Mental health treatment in primary care may help improve physical problems
The following video is courtesy of Access Community Health Centers in Madison, WI. The information offered in the video assists in defining the integration of primary care behavioral health

Partnership in Behavioral Health and Medicine:

Why Integrate?
  • Integration of primary care behavioral health specialists into the primary care and specialty settings enhances the quality of patient treatment at their primary care physicians office.
  • Many visits to a Primary Care Physician (PCP) have a secondary agenda that is often psychological in nature. Specially trained psychologists work collaboratively with PCP's to add a mental health component to the visit.
  • Likelihood of follow through from behavioral health "handoff" from physician is 75-90% successful, while referral to outside specialty care mental health is only about 25%.
Benefits of Consultation:
  • A group of Primary Care Behavioral Health Psychologists have offices at several locations and are available to meet with patients within the hour.
  • Behavioral health appointments typically last 45 minutes in length or less, leaving at least 15 minutes at the end of each hour available for behavioral health consultation (with patients or physicians)
  • Consultation with Physician and Behavioral Health Specialist at the time of patient appointment increases the likelihood of adherence and follow-through with patients treatment.
  • Benefits the physician by freeing up valuable time, where often the PCP will run behind in the 15-minute follow up, which often turns into a much longer mental health assessment.
Operational Overview:
  • Primary Care Behavioral Health utilizes a brief therapy model and treatment is individually tailored to meet patient needs.
  • Patients DO NOT get referred out due to inability to pay or lack of insurance. PCPA is a training site for doctoral candidates in Clinical Psychology who already hold a Master's degree. These well-trained and supervised Externs are available to see patients on a sliding scale fee schedule, while being supervised by Licensed Clinical Psychologists.
  • A large cohort of our clinicians completed a Certification in Primary Care Behavioral Health from the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine.
Insurance Procedure:
  • When patients are referred for services, insurance information is sent to PCPA and benefits are checked that same day.
  • Patient mental health benefits are communicated to the patient (including co-pay, co-insurance, deductible, authorizations, etc.) prior to first appointment.
  • Billing and collections is handled directly by PCPA.



Address:
Primary Care Psychology Associates, LLC
 Main Office
465 Central Ave, Suite #201
Northfield, IL, 60093
Phone: (847) 686-0090