A National Agenda for Research in Collaborative Care

This collection of three research papers represents the fruits of the AHRQ-funded Collaborative Care Research Network Research Development Conference in Denver in October 2009. At the meeting, participants took steps toward establishing a research agenda for collaborative care among primary care and mental health clinicians.

Collaborative care emphasizes the recognition and care of mental health problems in primary care settings and the effective collaboration of primary care and mental health clinicians. Collaborative care is regarded as an important function of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH), and one avenue toward achieving PCMH goals for health, patient experience, and affordability.

The three papers are:

• Establishing a Research Agenda for Collaborative Care (Miller, Kessler, Peek, and Kallenberg).
• A Framework for Collaborative Care Metrics (Kessler and Miller).
• A Collaborative Care Lexicon for Asking Practice and Research Development Questions (Peek).

Investigators:
Benjamin F. Miller, Psy. D., University of Colorado School of Medicine
Rodger Kessler, Ph. D., ABPP, University of Vermont College of Medicine
C.J. Peek, Ph.D., University of Minnesota Medical School
Gene A. Kallenberg, M.D., Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego

Editor:
Charlotte Mullican, M.P.H., Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality 

Contents

Overview
   The Papers
   From Lexicon Definitions to Practical Metrics: The Flow of Concepts in the Papers
Establishing the Research Agenda for Collaborative Care
   Abstract
   Introduction
   Methodology
   Toward a Collaborative Care Lexicon
   The Method for Producing the Research Agenda—The Conference
   Results
   Financial Research Questions
   Summary
A Framework For Collaborative Care Metrics
   Abstract
   Access to Behavioral Care for Medical Patients: Insufficient
   Uncertainty about Characteristics of Ideal Care
   Discussing Collaborative Care with a Common Consensually Derived Language
   The Need for Definition and Measurement
   Parameters of Measurement
   Collaborative Care Measures and Metrics
   Summary
A Collaborative Care Lexicon for Asking Practice and Research Development Questions
   Abstract
   Introduction: A Place in a New Movement for an Old Idea
   Consistent Language for research in Collaborative Care
   A Method for Creating a Lexicon for Collaborative Care
   The Product—A Lexicon for Collaborative Care
   Applications for the Lexicon
   Conclusion: The Need for Consistently Understood Concepts and Vocabulary in Emerging Fields

The authors of this report are responsible for its content. No statement in the report should be construed as an official position of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

This document is in the public domain and may be used and reprinted without permission except those copyrighted materials noted, for which further reproduction is prohibited without the express permission of copyright holders.

The Collaborative Care Research Network Research Development Conference in Denver in October 2009, which served as the genesis for this paper, was funded by AHRQ under AHRQ grant No. 1R13HS018318-01.