Transforming Population-Based Depression Care: a Quality Improvement Initiative Using Remote, Centralized Care Management.

Introduction: With the growing prevalence of value-based contracts, health systems are incentivized to consider population approaches to service delivery, particularly for chronic conditions like depression. To this end, UW Medicine implemented the Depression-Population Approach to Health (PATH) program in primary care (PC) as part of a system-wide Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) quality improvement (QI) initiative.

Aim: To examine the feasibility of a pilot PATH program and its impact on clinical and process-of-care outcomes.

Evaluation Of The Behavioral Health Integration And Complex Care Initiative In Medi-Cal.

This article reports how a large Medi-Cal managed care plan addressed challenges in accessing health care for approximately 7,000 enrollees with multiple chronic conditions through a project known as the Behavioral Health Integration and Complex Care Initiative. The initiative increased staffing for care management, care coordination, and behavioral health integration. In our evaluation of the initiative, we demonstrated that participation in it was associated with improved clinical indicators for common chronic conditions, reduced inpatient costs in some sites, and improved patient experience in all sites.

Telepsychiatry integration of mental health services into rural primary care settings.

From a population health perspective, the mental health care system in the USA faces two fundamental challenges: (1) a lack of capacity and (2) an inequitable geographic distribution of services. Telepsychiatry can help address the equity problem, and if applied thoughtfully, can also help address the capacity problem. In this paper we describe how telepsychiatry can be used to address the capacity and equity challenges related to the delivery of mental health services in rural areas.

The utility of a caseload registry: perceptions of behavioral health clinicians working in an integrated primary care and mental health program.

Objectives: This study evaluated the perceived benefits and limitations of a Web-based clinical support tool for behavioral health clinicians serving patients in an integrated primary care and mental health program in Washington State community health centers.

Methods: We surveyed 71 clinicians who utilize a Web-based clinical support tool ("the caseload registry") in treating patients. Follow-up interviews were scheduled with a subset (n=32) of respondents.

Perspectives of Behavioral Health Clinicians in a Rural Integrated Primary Care/Mental Health Program.

Purpose: This study compares the perspectives of rural and urban mental health clinicians working in various Washington State Community Health Centers that have implemented an integrated primary care/mental health program.

Methods: We conducted a Web-based survey of mental health clinicians (n = 71) who work in an integrated primary care/mental health program ("the program") in 1 of 150 safety net primary care clinics in Washington State. Most participating clinics are Federally Qualified Health Centers or Rural Health Clinics.

Bipolar disorder in primary care: clinical characteristics of 740 primary care patients with bipolar disorder.

Objective: This study aimed to describe the characteristics of primary care patients with bipolar disorder enrolled in a statewide mental health integration program (MHIP).

Methods: With the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (Version 3.0) and clinician diagnosis, 740 primary care patients with bipolar disorder were identified in Washington State between January 2008 and December 2011.