Where are social workers co-located with primary care physicians?

EDUCATION of social workers; BEHAVIOR modification; CHI-squared test; COMPUTER software; GEOGRAPHIC information systems; JAVA programming language; LABOR supply; METROPOLITAN areas; GENERAL practitioners; RESEARCH funding; RURAL conditions; SOCIAL role; PSYCHOLOGY of social workers; STATISTICS; CENTERS for Medicare & Medicaid Services (U.S.); PSYCHOSOCIAL factors; PHYSICAL activity; DATA analysis software; HEALTH & social status; DESCRIPTIVE statistics

Social workers are increasingly working in primary care clinics that provide Integrated Behavioral Healthcare (IBH) in which a patient's physical, behavioral, and social determinants of health are addressed on a collaborative team. Co-location, where care is housed in the same physical space, is a key element of IBH. Yet, little is known about the rate of social workers co-located with primary care physicians (PCPs). To identify national rates of social worker co-location, data were drawn from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES; n = 232,021 social workers, n = 380,690 PCPs). Practice addresses were geocoded and straight-line distances between practice locations of social workers and PCPs were calculated. More than 26% of social workers were co-located with a PCP. However, in rural settings only 21% were co-located (p <.001). Co-location also varied by PCP practice size, specialty, and state. This study serves as a benchmark of the growth of IBH and continued monitoring of co-location is needed to ensure social work workforce planning and training are aligned with changing models of care. Further, identifying mechanisms to support social work education, current providers, and health systems to increase IBH implementation is greatly needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Social Work in Health Care is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)