Coordination of Care

Patients diagnosed with major depression have better outcomes when behavioral health specialists and primary care providers (PCPs) work together. Studies demonstrate that patients with a chronic illness (i.e., diabetes, cardiovascular disease) and depression have poorer treatment outcomes than those without depression, which is why treating the depression is so important.

Room for Improvement
Yearly, Priority Health measures care coordination between behavioral health specialists and primary care physicians. The study involved reviewing behavioral health specialist charts and focused on three subpopulations:

• Members with major depression
• Members with depression and diabetes
• Members with depression and chronic pain

2008 Areas Assessed	Deptression Diagnosis	Diabetes with Depression	Chronic Pain with Depression
Total Charts Reviewed	270	153	41
Evidence of Care Coordination present in BH specialist chart	77% (208/70)	71% (109/153)	61% (25/41)
Evidence of Care Coordination Information Sent to PCP	51% (137/270)	51% (78/153)	34% (14/41)

Part of your Practice
We all want what’s best for patients, so we’re encouraging you to identify and overcome barriers that prevent helpful communication between BH specialists. We’re asking behavior health specialists and primary care physicians to work together to coordinate care for ALL patients with major depression and a co-morbid medical condition. For your convenience, you’ll find a “Coordination of Care” form on our website at priorityhealth.com. Or you can create your own, equivalent form or letter.