Collaborating to Heal Addiction and Mental Health in Primary Care

CoCM is based on six key principles: 1) evidence-based, 2) measurement-based, 3) team-based, 4) population-based, 5) patient-centered, and 6) accountable. CoCM supports the delivery of evidence-based pharmacological and psychosocial treatments. CoCM is measurement-based with screening and monitoring of patient-reported outcomes over time to assess treatment response and facilitate treatment adjustments. CoCM is team-based led by a primary care provider with support from a care manager in consultation with a psychiatrist who provides treatment recommendations for patients who are not responding. CoCM is population-based whereby a registry is used to monitor treatment engagement and facilitate the identification of patients falling through the cracks. CoCM is patient-centered with proactive outreach to engage and activate patients. Collaborative care is accountable with continuous quality improvement to meet clinic performance benchmarks.

"Pharmacologic treatment of OUD will rely mainly on transmucosal buprenorphine/naloxone prescribed by primary care providers with DATA 2000 waivers. Measurement-based care and treat to target are fundamental principles of CoCM and will be incorporated into the intervention. Care managers will ask four yes/no questions about: 1) opioid withdrawal symptoms, 2) illicit opioid craving, 3) illicit opioid use, 4) medication side effects. If necessary, consulting psychiatrists will then recommend a change to the treatment plan to the primary care provider. In the case of buprenorphine/naloxone, options for changing the treatment plan include: 1) increasing the dosage (max dose 32mg), 2) augmenting with clonidine, 3) switching to injectable buprenorphine, and/or 4) intensifying psychosocial interventions. If the patient is experiencing medication side effects, but not opioid withdrawal symptoms or illicit opioid craving, consideration will be given to lowering the medication dosage."