Considerations for Behavioral Health Integration Program Implementation in Pediatric Primary Care Settings: A Qualitative Study.

Background: More than 16% of children in the U.S. have a behavioral health (BH) disorder but less than half receive recommended care.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Prescribing Within an Integrated Pediatric Primary Care Behavioral Health Program.

Objective: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) prescribing is increasingly being integrated into primary care, but few data are available about prescribing patterns by pediatric primary care clinicians (PCCs) following implementation of integrated behavioral health (BH) care.

Methods: Using administrative claims data, we performed a cross-sectional analysis of SSRI prescribing within a statewide pediatric primary care network over 10 years after the initiation of an integrated BH program, calculating the rate of PCC and specialist SSRI prescribing. Using electronic health record data, we analyzed a proposed set of quality metrics for SSRI initiation.