The medical-psychiatric coordinating physician-led model: team-based treatment for complex patients.

Objective: We propose a patient care model involving psychiatrist-led multispecialty teams for treatment of the most treatment-refractory segment of "complex" outpatients. We call the psychiatrist taking this leadership role the Medical-Psychiatric Coordinating Physician.

Method: The authors conducted a pilot study for this treatment model with 52 office-based outpatient cases each involving complex patients, and each with at least 2 major treatment failures.