An example of a Psychiatric Consultant services agreement between a Community Mental Health Center and a Federally Qualified Health Center for organizations that may be interested in contracting for Psychiatric Consult services.
Please note: Contract language and template example is provided with permission from Valley Cities Behavioral Health Care.
There are different ways to bill for integrated behavioral health care depending on your model and staffing. This handout gives a brief overview of basic CPT and Medicare billing codes for behavioral health integration and Collaborative Care.
Remember to check with your state and all payers to determine the necessary qualifications for the designated billing providers. Not all states or payers reimburse for every code.
Primary care providers (PCP) identify and engage patients in collaborative care, make diagnoses, and treat patients. The resource below describes the role of the PCP in more detail.
A printable PDF is available for download; however, please note that this document may not conform to the WCAG-2 accessibility standards.
The role of the primary care provider (PCP) in Collaborative Care (CoCM) is to oversee all aspects of a patient’s behavioral health care, including encouraging the patient’s participation, prescribing medications, and making referrals to specialty mental health care when needed. PCPs work in close collaboration with the patient’s behavioral health care manager (BHCM) and psychiatric consultant. This is summarized below.
In January 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the bundled payments for the overall treatment of OUD can be used for any substance use disorder or treating several at one time. This quick guide summarizes the codes that can be used to bill for these services.
The Primary Care Provider (PCP) Champion plays a key role on the Clinic Implementation Team (CIT). The CIT is created when a medical practice is planning to implement Collaborative Care. This document outlines the PCP Champion’s key responsibilities with the team and their PCP colleagues, as well as the personal and professional characteristics that are most desirable in the role.
The Clinic Implementation Team Lead facilitates implementation and leads the Clinic Implementation Team (CIT). The CIT is created when a medical practice is planning to implement Collaborative Care. The document below outlines the CIT Leads’ key responsibilities, as well as the personal and professional characteristics that are most desirable in this role.
Integrated Care: Creating Effective Mental Health and Primary Health Care Teams provides the first comprehensive guide for teams to integrate effective mental health care into primary care clinics. Edited by a team of UW Medicine mental health experts, it includes practical information, skills, and clinical approaches needed to implement Collaborative Care, an evidence-based model of integrated care developed at the University of Washington. Importantly, it provides a common resource and framework for all members of the care team including care managers, psychiatrists, primary care providers, and administrators. Editors include UW psychiatrists Anna Ratzliff, MD, PhD, Jurgen Unutzer, MD, PhD, MA, and the late Wayne Katon, MD, as well as UW psychologist Kari Stephens, PhD.
Find resources for implementation within the free Integrated Care Online Appendix. These include a CoCM readiness checklist, BHCM documentation templates with examples, job descriptions, links to screening and symptom monitoring tools, and more.
Email uwaims@uw.edu with specific questions.
The Integrated Care Online Appendix can be found on the publisher’s website under ‘downloads’ at the bottom of the page.
Ensuring that a patient understands the Collaborative Care (CoCM) program before agreeing to participate is a crucial task for primary care providers. This resource provides general guidance on obtaining verbal consent from patients to participate in CoCM. Please note that these are general tips and that specific consent requirements may vary by state and patient insurance.
Since hosting monthly finance office hours, the AIMS Center has compiled the most asked questions and their answers. Answers address a variety of billing and financing topics including: reimbursement, the CoCM team, general BHI code, patient cost, registry options, telehealth, time tracking and more.
Updated 03/28/2023
This tool provides an overview of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), including symptoms, risk factors and treatment options. A Behavioral Health Care Manager can use this handout to supplement a patient’s education about PTSD.