Eliminating a Psychiatric Waitlist
What is it about?
With training and technical assistance from the American Psychiatric Association, a federally qualified health center in the Midwest gradually transitioned to a collaborative care model of psychiatric treatment. By year 3, most psychiatric treatment was provided directly by primary care providers with support from psychiatric consultants, and the 350 person waitlist was virtually eliminated.
Why is it important?
Access to treatment for mental health services can enhance the initiation of appropriate treatment and preventative services, decrease financial strain, and minimize preventable hospitalizations.1 Two-thirds of primary care providers reported difficulty in accessing psychiatric care for their patients.2 • The Collaborative Care Model (CoCM) offers a delivery method to enhance access to care by strategically managing a patient population base through leveraging psychiatric expertise in an innovative way.