Dr John Santopietro Says People Now See the Connection Between Behavioral, Physical Health

About 70% of primary care visits actually have a behavioral health component, which has been well known for some time, even if people are just now realizing how connected mental and physical health are, according to John Santopietro, MD, chief clinical officer of behavioral health at Carolinas HealthCare System.

He added that the cost of care for a patient increases 2 to 3 times when just one mental health diagnosis is added.

“It’s one of those things that has been there, we’ve known about it, but only now is the system waking up to get serious about investing in it,” Dr Santopietro said. “I think people are finally getting it.”