Why Collaborative Care Is the Path Forward for Mental Health Care: Anna Bobb, MPH

A recent national analysis commissioned by the Path Forward coalition reveals promising but disparate progress in expanding access to the Collaborative Care Model (CoCM). Anna Bobb, MPH, executive director of the Path Forward coalition, which unites health care stakeholders around actionable solutions to expand equitable access to mental health and substance use disorder care, discusses how the proven, team-based approach that integrates mental health screening, treatment, and psychiatric consultation directly into primary care can help address the current mental health crisis.

The Milliman analysis, conducted by an independent global data firm for the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, examined 5 years of claims data for 219 million Americans, representing nearly two-thirds of the US population. It found a 10-fold increase in the use of the CoCM among commercially insured individuals from 2018 to 2023. Despite this growth, access remains limited: only an estimated 100,000 people with commercial insurance received care through the CoCM last year, representing less than 1% of the nearly 60 million adults and children with mild to moderate mental health conditions who could benefit.

The CoCM is available in all 50 states and has been shown to reduce depression recovery times 7-fold and improve patient outcomes through a collaborative team led by primary care providers and supported by behavioral health care managers and psychiatric consultants. More than 90 randomized controlled trials have demonstrated its effectiveness, yet start-up costs and uneven reimbursement remain major barriers to widespread adoption.

Path Forward, in partnership with the Meadows Institute and the American Psychiatric Association, released supporting materials, including a national heatmap of coverage, and urged lawmakers to pass the bipartisan COMPLETE Care Act. This legislation would boost Medicare reimbursement for the CoCM, helping overcome initial implementation costs.

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