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Article
A Learning Collaborative of CMHCs and CHCs to Support Integration of Behavioral Health and General Medical Care
Psychiatric Services (2011)
  • Steven D Vannoy
  • Barbara Mauer
  • John Kern
  • Kamaljeet Girn
  • Charles Ingoglia
  • Jeannie Campbell
  • Laura Galbreath
  • Jürgen Unützer
Abstract

Objective: Integration of general medical and mental health services is a growing priority for safety-net providers. The authors describe a project that established a one-year learning collaborative focused on integration of services between community health centers (CHCs) and community mental health centers (CMHCs). Specific targets were treatment for general medical and psychiatric symptoms related to depression, bipolar dis- order, alcohol use disorders, and metabolic syndrome. Methods: This ob- servational study used mixed methods. Quantitative measures included 15 patient-level health indicators, practice self-assessment of resources and support for chronic disease self-management, and participant satisfaction. Results: Sixteen CHC-CMHC pairs were selected for the learning collaborative series. One pair dropped out because of personnel turnover. All teams increased capacity on one or more patient health indicators. CHCs scored higher than CMHCs on support for chronic disease self-management. Participation in the learning collaborative increased self-assessment scores for CHCs and CMHCs. Participant satisfaction was high. Ob- servations by faculty indicate that quality improvement challenges included tracking patient-level outcomes, workforce issues, and cross- agency communication. Conclusions: Even though numerous systemic barriers were encountered, the findings support existing literature indicating that the learning collaborative is a viable quality improvement approach for enhancing integration of general medical and mental health services between CHCs and CMHCs. Real-world implementation of evidence based guidelines presents challenges often absent in research. Technical resources and support, a stable workforce with adequate train- ing, and adequate opportunities for collaborator communications are particular challenges for integrating behavioral and general medical services across CHCs and CMHCs. (Psychiatric Services 62:753–758, 2011)

Publication Date
Summer July, 2011
Citation Information
Steven D Vannoy, Barbara Mauer, John Kern, Kamaljeet Girn, et al.. "A Learning Collaborative of CMHCs and CHCs to Support Integration of Behavioral Health and General Medical Care" Psychiatric Services Vol. 62 Iss. 7 (2011)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/steven_vannoy/20/