Collaborative care is a related
healthcare philosophy and movement that has many names, models, and definitions that often includes the provision of mental-health, behavioral-health and substance-use services in primary care. Common derivatives of the name collaborative care include integrated care, primary care behavioral health, integrated primary care, and shared care. The
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) published an overview of many different models as well as
research that supports them. These are the key features of collaborative care models: • Integration of
mental health professionals in
primary care medical settings • Close collaboration between
mental health and medical/
nursing providers • Focus on treating the whole person and whole family. There are various national associations committed to collaborative care such as the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association. • a multiprofessional approach to patient care; • a structured management plan tailored to the individual needs of the patient; • proactive follow-up delivering evidence-based treatments; • processes to enhance interprofessional communication such as routine and regular team meetings and/or shared records. According to Shivam Shah collaborative care is a form of systematic team-based care involving: • A case manager responsible for the coordination of different components of care; • A structured care management plan, shared with the patient; • Systematic patient management based on protocols and the tracking of outcomes; • Delivery of care by a multidisciplinary team which includes a psychiatrist; • Collaboration between primary and secondary care. There are organizations in many countries promoting these ideas such as the American Collaborative Family Healthcare Association, a multi-guild member association based in
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, which supports healthcare professionals in integrating physical and behavioral health. The
University of Washington has an Advancing Integrated Mental Health Solutions Center, founded by Jürgen Unützer, to promote
primary care behavioral health. The Coalition for Collaborative Care was established in England in 2014. It focuses on re-framing the relationship between a person with long-term health conditions and the professionals supporting them. == Contrast to merging roles ==