Jeremy Orgel is a board-certified adult psychiatrist based in The Woodlands and Shenandoah, Texas, where he serves as president of a private outpatient psychiatric practice providing telehealth services to adult and adolescent patients in Texas and California. In 2023, Jeremy Orgel joined Woodlands Internists as a staff psychiatrist, supporting the psychiatric care of approximately 50 patients within a primary care internal medicine setting. His clinical background includes more than two decades at the McAuley Neuropsychiatric Institute at St. Mary’s Medical Center in San Francisco, where he treated adolescents hospitalized for psychiatric emergencies and served as Medical Director for five years. With experience in psychodynamic psychotherapy, diagnostic evaluation, and medication management, his work reflects a sustained commitment to coordinated care models that connect psychiatric expertise with primary care practice.
How Psychiatrists Collaborate with Primary Care Doctors
Physical and mental health problems often show up in the same visit, especially for patients managing chronic illness. When that happens, primary care and behavioral health work best when they do not operate in separate lanes. In integrated behavioral health care, clinicians share planning and communication so they address the patient’s medical and behavioral needs together.
Primary care doctors are usually the first clinicians a patient sees. They manage conditions, adjust medications, and notice changes. If mood, sleep, worry, or concentration problems start to interfere with treatment, the primary care doctor may bring in behavioral health support. Psychiatrists often help through consultation, clarifying the diagnosis and advising on treatment options when symptoms persist, or when medication decisions become more complicated.
One structured approach is the Collaborative Care Model, a team-based way to integrate behavioral health into routine primary care. In this model, the primary care provider leads a team that includes a behavioral health care manager and a consulting psychiatrist. The care manager tracks symptoms and organizes follow-up, while the psychiatrist reviews caseloads and guides treatment adjustments, focusing on patients who are not improving as expected.
Outside formal models, collaboration takes different shapes. Integrated teams move among three patterns: consultation, coordination, and real-time collaboration. A consult occurs when one clinician asks another for input to confirm a plan or choose next steps. Coordination means each clinician provides care separately but stays aligned through handoffs and shared responsibilities. Real-time collaboration shows up when a case is complex or unfamiliar, and the team needs a short discussion to agree on a plan.
Shared records and secure communication tools help those patterns work. When primary care and behavioral health teams use the same electronic record, they can align on symptom measures, recent test results, and the active medication list. Many practices also use brief case reviews or scheduled check-ins to anticipate needs and decide who will follow up.
Medication questions are a common reason for input from a psychiatrist. A primary care doctor may ask about side effects, dose changes, or interaction risks when a patient takes multiple medications. In integrated settings, that guidance can come through a message, a phone call, or a case review, so the primary care team can act without sending the patient through a slow, disconnected referral process.
Timing matters because clinicians do not always see the patient on the same day. Warm handoffs, including a brief introduction between clinicians, can help. A short note about what the patient is struggling with and the goal for the next visit can prevent mixed messages later. A quick debrief after the behavioral health visit can do the same, especially when primary care needs to carry the plan forward.
When needs are complex or new, coordination may not be enough. Clinicians may confer, sometimes with the patient, to clarify what is driving symptoms and what to watch next. They decide what to monitor and when to intensify treatment if progress stalls.
For patients, the payoff is clarity and continuity. Evidence on behavioral health integration links these approaches with improved mental health outcomes and patient experience, and studies associate them with better adherence, engagement, and satisfaction. Receiving behavioral health support in a familiar primary care setting can also reduce access barriers for some patients.
As clinics build integrated workflows, the psychiatrist’s role often extends beyond one-on-one visits to consultation, care planning, and team support. The strongest systems make space for quick input, coordinated follow-up, and scheduled case discussions, using shared information tools that match the pace of a busy clinic day.
See also: Clinical Perspective on Nutritional Management and Preventive Healthcare
About Jeremy Orgel
Jeremy Orgel is Board-certified in Adult Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He leads a private outpatient practice serving adult and adolescent patients in Texas and California via telehealth and joined Woodlands Internists as a staff psychiatrist in 2023. Previously, he spent 25 years at the McAuley Neuropsychiatric Institute at St. Mary’s Medical Center, where he treated hospitalized adolescents and served as Medical Director. He completed residency training at the University of California, San Francisco, and earned his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine.
