Patient Follow-Up in Primary Care After Behavioral Health Screening in an Urban Public Hospital System

Patients who screen positive for psychiatric comorbidity are not lost to follow-up at higher rates than screen-negative controls. This finding suggests that disparate outcomes for mentally ill patients in a public hospital system may not be based on reduced access to or lack of contact with primary care providers. Further study of systems or provider-related factors is needed to ascertain the pathways toward poor health for this population.