THE COLLABORATIVE CARE MODEL: A SOLUTION FOR PROVIDING PSYCHOSOCIAL CARE

Ongoing pressures on healthcare delivery systems in the US, such as high volumes of distressed patients and limited resources, puts additional strain on cancer centers who commonly struggle to provide adequate access to mental health services. The Collaborative Care Model (CoCM) offers a sustainable solution to increase access to effective psychosocial care and receive reimbursement for those services provided to Medicare patients. While the CoCM originated in primary care, more recently a strong base of evidence has demonstrated the model’s utility in a cancer center setting.

Core components of the CoCM model are outlined below and reflect the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) billing requirements that must be fulfilled for proper reimbursement:

1. Care manager (typically a social worker) in place to assist oncology clinicians in managing their patients’ mental health needs, in conjunction with a consulting psychiatrist.
2. Registry tracking as a mechanism to follow the care journey of a defined population of patients and assume responsibility for their health outcomes.
3. Measurement-based care with validated patient-reported outcome measures that guide shared clinical decision-making practices and delivery of timely, targeted treatments.
4. Weekly meetings with a consulting psychiatrist to review patients’ treatment plans and jointly determine where adjustments or additional referrals (eg, to psychiatry or other specialists) are needed.

For more information on this program, please contact the ACCC Provider Education department.