Collaborative care is an evidence-based approach to managing mental health conditions that is implemented across a clinic or provider organization. This model systematically screens for and follows patients with a mental disorder, tracks their level of symptomatology, and augments or changes treatment until symptom remission is achieved. The collaborative care model was originally developed and tested to manage common mental disorders in primary care settings, however it is increasingly being applied to more complex conditions, including serious mental illnesses, and being used across a wide range of private and public sector settings. Since 2017, new billing codes have made it possible to bill for collaborative care services through Medicare and many private insurers. The American Psychiatric Associations has a number of resources that can help your clinic or organization to implement collaborative care programs for your patients with serious mental illnesses. You can also find more information at the Advancing Integrated Mental Health Solutions Center, University of Washington (https://aims.uw.edu/).
American Psychiatric Association. (2017, July). FAQs for billing the Psychiatric Collaborative Care Management (CoCM) codes (G0502-G0504) and General Behavioral Health Intervention (BHI) code (G0507). Retrieved from https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Practice/Professional-Topics/Integrated-Care/FAQs-Billing-Psychiatric-Collaborative-Care-Management-Codes.pdf