Psych Consults in Primary Care with Dr. “V” Diaz-Hernandez

ennifer Thomas hosts a special CFHA Integrated Care Podcast episode featuring board-certified psychiatrist and addiction medicine specialist Dr. Virmarie “Dr. V” Diaz-Hernandez, national medical director at Concert Health, discussing psychiatric consultation in primary care within the Collaborative Care Model. Dr. V shares her training in Puerto Rico and the U.S., how stigma and fragmented systems drive the need for integrated care, and her early CoCM training through the AIMS Center. She explains the CoCM “triangle” roles (PCP, behavioral health care manager, and psychiatric consultant), how consultation differs from traditional psychiatry, and why it can be rewarding through population-level impact. They cover lessons learned—clear roles, flexible workflows, strong communication, weekly systematic case reviews using a registry, and avoiding program drift—plus how remote teams work and resources like CFHA training, the job board, and the CFHA annual conference (Oct 8–10 in St. Louis).