Pediatric Primary Care Visits With Mental Health Needs

Category	Detail
Condition	Mental, behavioral, and developmental disorders in children
Key Mechanisms	Integration of mental health services into pediatric primary care to improve access and treatment
Target Population	Children and adolescents aged 1 to 18 years in Massachusetts
Care Setting	Pediatric primary care

28% of children in the US are affected by mental health disorders, with nearly 50% not receiving needed treatment.
PCP visits with any mental health diagnosis increased from 5.9 to 9.7 visits per 100 children from 2014 to 2023.
Anxiety showed the greatest increase in PCP visits, rising from 1.7% to 6.1% of visits over the study period.
ADHD remained the most common mental health need at PCP visits.
Overall all-cause PCP visits decreased slightly from 58.9 to 54.8 visits per 100 children.

Utilize billing codes for mental health diagnoses to identify and track mental health issues in pediatric patients.

Integrate mental health services within pediatric primary care to enhance screening and treatment capabilities.

Regularly assess the prevalence of mental health diagnoses in pediatric populations during primary care visits.

Inadequate mental health training and clinical service capacity may hinder effective management of pediatric mental health conditions.

Insured children aged 1 to 18 years in Massachusetts

Increased capacity for screening and addressing mental health needs is essential, particularly for anxiety and ADHD.

Clinical Scorecard: Mental Health Requirements During Pediatric Primary Care Appointments