Who Qualifies? ✅

Any patient with at least one behavioral health diagnosis counts—whether that condition was on the books before or you identify it over time. Think:

• Depression, anxiety, PTSD
  
  
• Bipolar disorder
  
  
• Substance-use concerns
  
  
• And any other mental or psychiatric condition you treat
  
  

Why BHI Rocks 🌟

1. Smashes Stigma
   Embedding mental health in primary care normalizes it. Patients open up sooner and feel it’s “just part of their health,” not something to hide.
   
   
2. Boosts Outcomes
   Studies show integrated care lowers depression scores and can cut overall healthcare costs. Win–win!
   
   
3. Flexible Delivery
   Phone calls, video visits—even secure messaging can count toward your 20-minute billable time.
   
   

The Magic Code: CPT 99484 📝

• What it covers:
  – A systematic assessment of needs
  – Creation & ongoing updates of a personalized care plan
  – Regular check-ins and coordination with therapists or psychiatrists
  – 20+ minutes of care management time, per patient, per month
  
  
• How to bill:
  Submit 99484 once you hit that 20-minute mark—easy peasy.
  
  

Getting Patients Onboard 🚀

1. Enroll at a Visit
   During an in-person exam or Annual Wellness Visit, explain BHI’s benefits & costs (Medicare covers 80%), then document consent—written or verbal.
   
   
2. Set Expectations
   Talk through:
   
   
   
   • How BHI helps (better mood, fewer ER visits)
     
     
   • The 20-minute commitment each month
     
     
   • Their right to opt-out anytime
     
     
3. Kick Off with a Care Plan
   Build a roadmap of goals—sleep, stress management, medication adherence—and share it with the whole team.
   
   

Launching Your BHI Program 🎬

Before you dive in:

• Assemble a Team
  Physicians, care managers, and—if needed—a psychiatric consultant. Clarify roles so nobody drops the ball.
  
  
• Identify Candidates
  Use your EHR to flag patients with behavioral health diagnoses. Start small—with a pilot group—then scale.
  
  
• Choose Your Tech
  Pick a platform that tracks minutes, stores care plans, automates billing, and surfaces patient-reported data.
  
  
• Train Everyone
  Walk through “what-if” scenarios—lost devices, no-show calls, privacy questions—so care managers can troubleshoot on the fly.
  
  

Value-Based Care & Beyond 💡

• Cost Savings: Integrated behavioral health could save the U.S. healthcare system $38–68 billion annually by reducing ER visits and admissions.
  
  
• Quality Incentives: BHI performance can feed into value-based contracts and quality‐measure reporting.
  
  

Rural Impact: Use HCPCS code G0511 in Rural Health Clinics or FQHCs to bundle BHI with other care management services—no extra red tape, just better access.