MetroHealth System (MHS) HIV – Implementation of a Collaborative Care Model

The Practice Transformative Model of MetroHealth System (MHS) will provide integrated primary HIV care and behavioral health care to residents of Northeast Ohio who have been diagnosed with HIV. The Collaborative Care Model for Depression will transform MHS’ HIV primary care delivery by integrating depression screening and treatment into the medical infrastructure, by task shifting of responsibility for depression screening and monitoring response to therapy to non-physician providers, and by decreasing overall healthcare utilization and costs for PLWH. Implementing the model will in turn optimize HIV outcomes by improving rates of engagement in care, optimizing HIV medication adherence and result in sustained viral suppression. Essential training will be provided to the medical and support staff on how to manage mental illness and enable a team approach to challenging patients.

The MHS HIV clinic will collaborate with an existing community resource, Better Health, Greater Cleveland (BHGC), to develop the health information technology and use practice coaches to assist in workflow changes needed to implement the Collaborative Care Model. Consumer input will be sought to refine processes as well as to assess the effectiveness of self-management tools developed for the project. Developing a scalable model such as the Collaborative Care Model for provision of mental health services, consistently noted as a service gap, will improve overall health and well-being of the PLWH in Ohio. This project’s design, implementation, and evaluation of a Collaborative Care Model for Depression in the MHS HIV clinic will lead to better depression treatment and in turn, lead to increased rates of viral suppression.