Collaborative Care Models in Psychiatry

Integrated care models allow a team of providers to interact in a systematic manner, producing cost-effective and superior outcomes for patients. The collaborative care model (CCoM), one type of integrated care, has emerged as one approach with over 80 randomized controlled trials to support its efficacy. In this model, a behavioral health provider offers evidence-based, brief interventions but also serves as a liaison between the patient, medical providers, and the psychiatric consultant. The team also monitors outcomes through a registry and provides a stepped care approach to adjust interventions collaboratively, as needed. If the barriers to integrated care implementation are surmounted, psychiatrists working as consultants in this model can provide care in an efficient and sustainable manner. This review contains 5 figures, 5 tables, and 48 references.