Jürgen Unützer, M.D., M.P.H., uses a recent case study to reflect on the reasons why Collaborative Care implementations are not always successful. He explains ways to overcome the common problems that many clinics face when implementing Collaborative Care into primary care clinics.
This article examines the benefits of integrated care to primary care providers and patients including getting patients back to work sooner, treatment compliance, lowering costs, and reducing physician burnout. Collaborative Care is highlighted as an effective model of integrated care.
According to a new study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, women treated using Collaborative Care in Obstetrics and Gynecology settings showed fewer depression symptoms than women who were treated with typical care.
Marc Avery, M.D., draws on 20 years of experience as a medical leader in community mental health care as he comments on core principles that apply to both types of integration.
John Kern, M.D., an experienced medical director of a community mental health center, shares his experiences with collaborative care programs that have brought new joy to his work and improved the lives of his patients.
Jürgen Unützer talks about the importance of task sharing in effective integrated behavioral health care programs.
An impressive new benefit of collaborative care for depression has been identified that can slash the risk of fatal and nonfatal heart attacks and strokes in older individuals without preexisting heart disease.
In this op-ed to the Seattle Times, Wayne Katon and Jürgen Unützer write about the importance of grasping opportunities to innovate and implement integrated care programs and talk about the state of Washington having the potential to serve as a model for the rest of the country.
Collaborative care presents new opportunities for psychiatrists to contribute to the evolving health care system. Curricula that teach psychiatric residents how to work effectively with primary care providers, like the one being developed by the authors of this column, will help us build a new behavioral health workforce ready to care for the millions of people with common mental disorders who have limited access to mental health specialists.
Amy Bauer, M.D., M.S., shares her thoughts as an early-career psychiatrist who has worked in several integrated care settings, noting her appreciation for the diversity of her clients.