The results of a three-year initiative funded by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation suggest that collaborative care models improve outcomes for patients with uncontrolled depression, diabetes and heart disease.
The Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement, a Minn.-based nonprofit healthcare improvement organization, led the implementation of the Care of Mental, Physical and Substance-use Syndromes initiative across 18 medical groups, 171 clinics and 3,300 clinicians in eight states.
For patients enrolled within the COMPASS program for more than four months, the project found that depression, and diabetes and hypertension control exceeded a 40 percent and 20 percent improvement respectively, according to a press release.
COMPASS partners published an Intervention Guide that details clinical workflow, best practices and supporting information for primary care systems interested in implementing COMPASS. The guide is publicly available on the ICSI website.
While the results are encouraging, the ICSI acknowledges the findings are preliminary. Six papers submitted to peer review journals are currently awaiting review.
"With the help of these tools and resources developed by COMPASS partners, this and similar models could be broadly implemented across the country, helping the healthcare community take an important step toward addressing the whole person and creating better outcomes," said Sanne Magnan, MD, PhD, president and CEO of ICSI.
Participating COMPASS partners included Community Health Plan of Washington, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Kaiser Permanente South California, Mayo Clinic Health System, Michigan Center for Clinical Systems Improvement, Mount Auburn Cambridge Independent Practice Association (Massachusetts), Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative, AIMS Center at the University of Washington, and HealthPartners for Education and Research.
More articles on quality:
Optimal nurse staffing leads to clinical and economic improvements: 5 findings
Tackling sepsis: Deriving best practices to meet the CMS early measure bundle
Top 10 infection control stories, November 16-20