Emerging Issues: Psychology’s Place in the Primary Care Pediatric Medical Home

Abstract

The passage of the Affordable Care Act has expanded the role of primary care providers in promoting child and adolescent socio-emotional health and well-being. With additional emphasis on prevention and expanded coverage for services such as developmental screenings, behavioral assessments, and obesity-related services, primary care practitioners will become increasingly involved in child mental health. This expansion provides additional opportunities for psychologists to be involved in service delivery in primary care settings. Many benefits have been noted for involving psychologists in primary care environments such as improved health outcomes and reduced costs. This commentary will explore implications of the Affordable Care Act for medical and psychology providers, along with how psychologists can become involved in implementing patient-centered medical homes, providing mental health services in primary care, with additional recommendations for policy and program changes to enhance integrated health care for children and adolescents.