Behavioral health integration model

Excerpt

We appreciate Dr. Tynan’s letter but respectfully disagree with some of his contentions. First, our CoCM model simulation was not purely telephone based, having included components of in-person evaluation, follow-up, and referral when needed. CoCM studies do have primarily telephone-based intervention but allow for face-to-face interactions,¹ and our simulation matched the Medicare implementation guidelines for telephone and face-to-face visit frequency.^{2, 3} Our staffing metrics were similarly concordant with actual implementation; per the University of Washington’s Advancing Integrated Mental Health Solutions (AIMS) center, “a full-time behavioral health care manager typically oversees 100–150 patients,” and our psychiatrist consult time was additionally based on real-world implementation experience and varied widely in Monte Carlo simulations to reflect practice variations.^{4, 5} …