ABSTRACT
This chapter provides guidance and strategies for the clinician in private practice to enhance collaboration and improve patient care. Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are also gaining favor. ACOs are groups of healthcare organizations and professionals that come together to provide coordinated, high-quality care. As a private practitioner, the role of a consultant is a familiar one, but will look different than it might in a more fully integrated model where the behavioral health consultant might be readily available to the primary care physician. In addition to the coordinated care model, there are growing opportunities for mental health professionals to implement co-located and integrated care models, particularly in primary care, and serving as consultants in this setting is likely the most practical approach for mental health providers to think about long-term. Familiarity with medical terminology, procedures, can go a long way in establishing ones credibility with medical practitioners.
