SAN FRANCISCO – To meet the Affordable Care Act’s goal of integrated health care, access to mental health services is going to have to improve, according to Dr. Roderick E. Shaner, medical director of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health.
That’s going to mean more electronic consultations with primary care providers needing advice, in addition to traditional face-to-face meetings with patients.
At the American Psychiatric Association’s Institute on Psychiatric Services meeting, Dr. Shaner shared what his county has learned so far about implementing the ACA, and insights about how his psychiatrists are paid for their electronic consultations.