Beyond the Checkbox: Developing Measurement-Based Care as a Clinical Skill in PCBH

Abstract

Measurement-Based Care (MBC) holds significant potential to enhance the effectiveness of the Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) model, yet it remains inconsistently applied. This article positions MBC not as a procedural task, but as a core clinical competency that fosters therapeutic alliance, clarifies treatment goals, and promotes equitable care. Drawing from contrasting clinical vignettes, we demonstrate how tools inform clinical decision-making and enhance collaboration when applied skillfully by Behavioral Health Consultants. Finally, this article identifies cultural, structural, and operational barriers to implementation and offers pragmatic strategies to integrate MBC into routine care. By reframing MBC as a clinical competency, we advocate for its broader adoption as a standard of care within integrated behavioral health and PCBH specifically.

Continuing Education Information

1 CE Credit, Instructional Level: Intermediate

1 Contact Hour (New York Board of Psychology)

Disclosures: Author has no conflicts of interest to disclose. Generative AI was not used for the development or content of this presentation.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the benefits of using Measurement-Based Care (MBC) and its potential to enhance the effectiveness of the Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) Model
2. Describe cultural, strucutral, and operational barriers to the implementation of MBC
3. Prepare to use MBC as a clinical competency integrated into routine behavioral health

----------------------------

CE Disclaimers

The National Register of Health Service Psychologists is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The National Register maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

The National Register of Health Service Psychologists is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0010