A nationwide initiative called COMPASS (Care of Mental, Physical and Substance-use Syndromes) is being touted for successfully coordinating patients’ diabetes and cardiovascular treatment with mental-health care to both reduce depression and improve patients’ glucose and blood-pressure numbers.
Patients in the initiative talked at least once a month with care managers, who worked with the patients and primary-care physicians to address patients’ depression and medication for diabetes, hypertension or both.
Forty percent of patients with uncontrolled disease at enrollment achieved depression remission or response; 23 percent achieved glucose control, and 58 percent achieved blood-pressure control during an 11th-month followup.
Care managers had either behavioral health or regular medical training.
The Center for Medicare and Medication Innovation funded the $18-million, three-year initiative.
“This was a successful wide-scale implementation of a collaborative care model that demonstrated it can be used in a variety of health care settings with positive effects for providers and patients,” Karen J. Coleman, Ph.D., of Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation, said.
She added said that the study indicates that patients with mild and moderate depression can be cared for in a primary-care setting.
“Depression is a chronic disease like diabetes,” she said. “Healthy behavioral changes like sleep, exercise, and better eating can improve diabetes and depression.
To read an article on this program, please hit this link.
