Behavioral Health Integration
Quarterly Implementation Update
Aligning for Impact
Discover the latest insights in integrated care with Aligning for Impact, CQC's publication highlighting multi-stakeholder approaches to advance behavioral health integration in California. Drawing on statewide consensus-building and insights from leaders in four states, this paper unveils a shared definition, practical frameworks, and actionable strategies tailored to California’s complex health system.
BHI Payer Workgroup
In 2025, CQC convened six commercial health plans to support behavioral health integration. The BHI Payer Workgroup documents are available for plans and partners to adapt and adopt, including: BHI Health Plan Policy & FAQ, BHI into Primary Care: Provider Implementation Guide and BHI Data Request.
Cal-IN Peer Group for California BHI Leaders
Did you miss any Cal-IN meetings this year? Cal - IN is CQC and CFHA’s peer group for integrated leaders in California. Register for the 2026 meetings below.
Upcoming Events
Engaging Medical Providers in Collaborative Care (January 20)
Join the AIMS Center on January 20, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. PT for their Quarterly Webinar Series and learn from leading experts in Collaborative Care and integrated care on Engaging Medical Providers in Collaborative Care.
Catalyst for Health: A CQC Forum (April 22 - 23, Sacramento)
Catalyst for Health, a CQC Forum, brings together leaders, innovators and implementers from across California’s health care ecosystem to share strategies, build relationships and tackle the state’s most pressing challenges annually. Registration is open, with VIP bundle pricing available through December. A limited number of sponsorship opportunities remain.
Resources
Decades of evidence has proven that whole-person primary care leads to better care, lower costs and improve health. Harvard Medical School’s Center for Primary Care Primary Care Investment Guide sheds light on how primary care can be implemented most effectively to achieve those aims – including behavioral health integration in primary care.
How Depression Among Employees Leads to Increased Total Cost of Care
A new large-scale insurance claims study by Highmark reveals a sharp link between depression severity and health-care costs — people with severe depression incurred on average 117 % higher total care costs than those with minimal symptoms. Even modest improvements in depression severity translated into real savings: the study found each drop in symptom severity saved about $41 per person per month.
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Find previous BHI Quarterly Updates here.
The California Quality Collaborative (CQC) is a quality improvement program of the Purchaser Business Group on Health (PBGH). CQC's Behavioral Health Integration Initiative supports integrating behavioral health into primary care to improve access and outcomes across California. To learn more about this work, visit our website.
