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Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Center for Dissemination & Implementation Science

Northwestern Medicine West Health Accelerator: Embedded Evaluation and Dissemination of Collaborative Care

The Collaborative Care Model (CoCM) is a form of integrated care in which depression and anxiety are treated in the context of primary care through teamwork between a patient’s primary care physician, behavioral care manager, and consulting psychiatrist. In 2016, Northwestern Medicine piloted CoCM in one primary care practice and in 2018 implemented CoCM in a staggered fashion across 11 primary care practices to increase equitable access to mental health services.

In 2024, Northwestern Medicine expanded CoCM system-wide to over 70 primary care clinics. At this time, West Health Institute and Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute joined forces with Northwestern Medicine to leverage the latest technologies and the top experts to evaluate the expansion of CoCM. The Embedded Evaluation and Dissemination Team will capitalize on insights from key program constituents (e.g., patients, primary care physicians, behavioral care manager) and programmatic data extracted from the Northwestern Medicine’s electronic health record to iteratively improve equitable access to mental health treatment and to create generalizable knowledge to inform the implementation of CoCM in other systems. To accomplish this, unmet care needs and areas for improvement will be identified through qualitative and quantitative data sources and rapid-cycle research projects will be deployed to test strategies for addressing identified gaps.

Project Details

  • Dates: 2024 - 2027
  • Funding source: West Health Institute
  • Grant number: N/A

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