Pre-Launch Planning and Preparation

OMH will not sponsor organizations to participate in in-person training and follow-up coaching and support before both new members of your care team (depression care manager and psychiatric consultant) are in place.

We ask that participating staff plan to launch their collaborative care program around one to two weeks after in-person training.

Pre-Launch Checklist 

Staffing

      • Recruit, hire or contract for the services of a psychiatric consultant. The AIMS Center has a sample job description and sample contract.
      • Hire or assign appropriate staff to the role of a depression care manager, taking into consideration licensure requirements for billing.  The AIMS Center has a sample job description and information about other requirements.
      • Assign appropriate clinic work space to the care manager so that they can work on EHR documentation, registry monitoring, and for interacting with patients by phone. Have a plan for clinic space in which the care manager can meet with patients privately.
      • If you are sharing a depression care manager across more than one clinic and the care manager is located off site most or part of their time, create a plan to establish regular communication and meetings with assigned primary care providers and others on their team.  
      • If your care manager is not a licensed clinician and so is not able to offer psychotherapies such as Problem-Solving Treatment (PST), determine what clinician(s) in your organization can offer psychotherapy to patients on the collaborative care caseload.

Registry

Have a plan in place for the registry functions needed to support population-based behavioral health care and efficient psychiatric case reviews in conjunction with your EHR.  Clinics can use the OMH AIMS Care Management Tracking System (CMTS) or a spreadsheet.  If your organization is evaluating the pros/cons of the CMTS vs. options like building your own registry into your EHR, you can launch your care using a spreadsheet as an interim registry to organize and prioritize your caseload.  The AIMS Center can provide technical assistance and advice on registry options.

Clinic Training, Workflows and Protocols (link to Workflow Resources)

Meet with your primary care providers to share information and answer questions about how they will be working with the care manager and psychiatric consultant in a collaborative care model.  Your practice coach or UW AIMS staff can help you with information and resources for PCPs.   Be sure your PCPs are well prepared for this practice change!

Work with appropriate clinic leadership to create/update and test your clinic work flows and protocols to use the PHQ-9 effectively and reliably.  Your clinic team will be using the PHQ-9 for depression screening and to drive treatment.

Create your training plan for all members of the primary care team that have a role in working with the PHQ-9 for screening, including front desk staff and medical assistants. 

Update or create your clinic’s protocol for suicide ideation and a safety protocol for the clinic.  Contact the AIMS Center team or your practice coach if you questions about protocols.