What is Behavioral Health Integration (BHI)? How RPM Can Help
As patients and policymakers alike begin to place more emphasis on the connection between mental and physical health, primary care needs to not only match their pace but surpass it.
Efficient primary care drives better health outcomes for patients, lower healthcare costs, and fewer hospitalizations. And, as of 2025, new ways to offer holistic primary care, including behavioral health integration (BHI), have emerged to make the most of primary health care’s position in the medical ecosystem. That value only increases when paired with the added real-time insights and proactive healthcare management of remote patient monitoring (RPM).
But what is BHI specifically? And what are its practical implications for physicians? How would it help address certain barriers to treatment for patients, particularly with the help of RPM?
So, What is Behavioral Health Integration (BHI)?
BHI is an approach to primary care that makes mental health treatment a main pillar alongside physical health. It means having a licensed behavioral physician—a psychologist, usually—on the core team. These professionals take on the responsibility of caring for patients’ mental health, stress-related symptoms, substance use disorders, etc.
Why Behavioral Health Integration in Primary Care Services Matters
There are many benefits of having integrated behavioral health, and it often pays for itself more than just financially. We’ll discuss the three biggest reasons why BHI matters, as observed across many primary care practices.
Early Identification & Intervention
Dedicated behavioral health physicians in primary care help identify and address mental health needs before they lead to worsening physical health. This leads to:
- Significant reduction in anxiety/depressive symptoms for patients with such disorders
- Increased use of coping strategies by patients
- Better adherence to relapse prevention plans
Better Health Outcomes
BHI’s main purpose is to enhance primary care and its effectiveness. It does that by providing direct treatment for behavioral health conditions that worsen physical health or chronic conditions. In turn, this creates notably better health outcomes for patients with:
- Depression
- Substance use disorders
- Psychiatric comorbidities
- Suicidal ideation
Reduced Costs to Patients & Doctors
BHI brings economic relief to both sides of care in a few ways. The primary reduction comes from a lower number of serious health visits that often burden and overwhelm the healthcare system. Other patient cost savings come from more appropriate prescribing and fewer referrals to specialty mental health providers. For doctors, certain integrative behavioral health costs are viable for reimbursement.
Behavioral Health Integration CMS Codes & Reimbursement
The number of patients covered by Medicare and Medicaid is only increasing. To make BHI the most cost-effective it can be, you’ll want to secure reimbursement for the clinical time you spend on it. Fortunately, there are CMS codes to take advantage of.
Four CPT codes and two new HCPCS codes are particularly relevant for BHI. These CMS codes, outlined below, can be billed per calendar month by eligible primary care practices who consult or employ the services of behavioral health physicians.
Behavioral Health Integration (BHI) | |
CPT Code | Description |
99484 | At least 20 minutes of clinical staff time spent on care management services for behavioral health conditions. |
99492 | The first 70 minutes of initial behavioral health care manager activities with a psychiatric consultant that the treating physician directs. |
99493 | The first 60 minutes of follow-up behavioral health care manager activities with a psychiatric consultant that the treating physician directs. |
99494 | Each additional 30 minutes of initial or follow-up behavioral health care manager activities with a psychiatric consultant that the treating physician directs. |
These HCPCS codes will also monitor how digital mental health treatment devices are used, which could benefit RPM users.
Behavioral Health Integration (BHI) | |
HCPCS Code | Description |
G0323 | At least 20 minutes of clinical staff time spent on care management services for behavioral health conditions. |
G2214 | The first 30 minutes of initial or follow-up behavioral health care manager activities with a psychiatric consultant that the treating physician directs. |
How to Leverage RPM with Behavioral Health Integration
With the help of remote patient monitoring, it’s possible to take the preventive and enhancing care of BHI a step further. The physiological data provided by these devices can assist with anticipating problems before they arise.
Take an example like the following:
A patient with anxiety and hypertension experiences a consistent rise in blood pressure on a particular day of the week, which an RPM device detects. Such precise, practical data allows the primary care psychologist to address the root of a problem for the patient. With BHI, the primary care provider can also consult a behavioral health professional to consider how psychological needs could factor into their care response.
Together, the pair may be able to identify that an appropriate solution to the rise in blood pressure involves a combination of anxiety treatment and physical health solutions. Then, they can work with the rest of the primary care team to provide targeted treatment before any major health concerns escalate, all without repeated office visits.
This is just the tip of the RPM iceberg for improved patient care. Its potential only grows from there once you consider symptom prediction capabilities, treatment response monitoring, and more.
CoachCare Helps You Improve Outcomes & Reduce Admin Burden for Your Behavioral Health Integration Program
As you plan ways to implement or improve your behavioral health integration, CoachCare can help take the weight off your shoulders. Beyond exploring our selection of RPM devices or booking a demo, we can help make your billing and reimbursement processes the best they’ve ever been.
High-quality patient care matters, you know it, and we know it. CoachCare is here to help primary care practices offer the highest caliber of care they can.