John Fortney, PhD discusses his most recent study about bringing telemedicine-based Collaborative Care to military veterans living in rural locations. Care teams used telephones, interactive video and shared Electronic Medical Records to collaboratively care for patients. It was found that the patients had better clinical outcomes when using telemedicine for psychotherapy.
A new study, Telemedicine-based Collaborative Care for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, shows that Collaborative Care can improve PTSD symptoms in military veterans. This study used the Telemedicine Outreach for PTSD (TOP) intervention model to treat US military veterans living in rural areas.
STEPS-UP (Stepped Enhancement of PTSD Services Using Primary Care) is the first randomized effectiveness trial of behavioral and mental health within the US Military Health System.
This article discusses the need to integrate mental health care into primary care and highlights the Behavioral Health Integration Program (BHIP) in the UW Medicine Neighborhood Clinics. The use of Collaborative Care in the Neighborhood Clinics has helped thousands of patients and has worked to close the gap between behavioral health care and primary care in Washington State.
Jürgen Unützer, MD, MPH discusses integrated care and compares two prominent models, the Collaborative Care model and the Behavioral Health Consultant model (BHC). BHC is a rapid access model in which patients are generally seen the same day and lasts about three sessions, whereas Collaborative Care addresses chronic mental health conditions like depression and anxiety that require longer-term treatment to ensure patients don't fall through the cracks or relapse. These two models originated from two different focus areas - Clinical and Research - and each has its own strengths.
Wayne Katon, MD, discusses his Depression Attention for Women Now (DAWN) study in The New York Times opinion pages. He explains why using Collaborative Care in OB/GYN settings is important for women facing depression before, during and after pregnancy. Dr. Katon also emphasizes the importance of allowing the patient to help choose the treatment option that's best for her.
An intervention based on the IMPACT model was adapted for teens, using age-appropriate education materials and an “engagement” session with the adolescent and his or her parent.
In this Seattle Times editorial piece, Jürgen Unützer, MD, MPH, sheds light on some of the issues troubling mental health care today and discusses integration of Collaborative Care as a solution.
Implementing Collaborative Care in primary care has been shown to improve patient outcomes. This study looks at the DIAMOND initiative and highlights essential elements that make a Collaborative Care implementation effective. Some broad important implementation factors were: leadership, care management, physician engagement and financial issues.
There is now a variety of well-established educational experiences in integrated care within psychiatry residencies. This article proposes core competencies to be taught and highlight rotations and educational methods in five different programs, which provide experience in different models of integrated care, as a psychiatric consultant, overseeing population-based mental health care, and delivering medical care for psychiatric patients. The authors present examples of programs educating psychiatry residents to work in integrated healthcare settings.