title: From Our Practices to Yours: Key Messages for the Journey to Integrated Behavioral Health.
abstract: The historic, cultural separation of primary care and behavioral health has caused the spread of integrated care to lag behind other practice transformation efforts. The Advancing Care Together study was a 3-year evaluation of how practices implemented integrated care in their local contexts; at its culmination, practice leaders ("innovators") identified lessons learned to pass on to others.
  
  
  
  Individual feedback from innovators, key messages created by workgroups of innovators and the study team, and a synthesis of key messages from a facilitated discussion were analyzed for themes via immersion/crystallization.
  
  
  
  Five key themes were captured: (1) frame integrated care as a necessary paradigm shift to patient-centered, whole-person health care; (2) initialize: define relationships and protocols up-front, understanding they will evolve; (3) build inclusive, empowered teams to provide the foundation for integration; (4) develop a change management strategy of continuous evaluation and course-correction; and (5) use targeted data collection pertinent to integrated care to drive improvement and impart accountability.
  
  
  
  Innovators integrating primary care and behavioral health discerned key messages from their practical experience that they felt were worth sharing with others. Their messages present insight into the challenges unique to integrating care beyond other practice transformation efforts.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Family Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO (SBG, LAG); Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Minneapolis, MN (CJP). stephanie.gold@ucdenver.edu.
authors.forename: Stephanie B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Gold
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Family Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO (SBG, LAG); Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Minneapolis, MN (CJP).
authors.forename: Larry A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Green
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Family Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO (SBG, LAG); Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Minneapolis, MN (CJP).
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Peek
mesh_terms: D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019033:Delivery of Health Care, Integrated / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D011216:Practice Management, Medical; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D058996:Quality Improvement
keywords: Delivery of Health Care; Integrated; Mental Health; Practice-based Research; Primary Health Care