September 2026  |   ATTCnetwork.org

By Katie Green, LMSW, CAADC, CCHTVSP and the ATTC Integration of Behavioral Health and Primary Care POWER Team

The ATTC Integration of Behavioral Health in Primary Care POWER Team, led by the Mountain Plains ATTC (Region 8) and the Northeast & Caribbean ATTC (Region 2), created a 4-part webinar series highlighting best practices for Integration of Behavioral Health in Primary Care. The first webinar featured an overview of common models of integrated behavioral health and primary care through the lens of implementation in different systems of care, including tribal health services. Featured models included the Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) model and the Collaborative Care Model (CoCM). PCBH embeds behavioral health clinicians within the primary care team to directly address behavioral health concerns and conditions, while the CoCM utilizes dedicated behavioral health professionals to provide collaborative care for primary care patients who score positive on behavioral health screens. While the models differ in structure and organizational elements, both show promising outcomes and reinforce the importance of an underlying cultural change for successful implementation. The cultural shift requires interprofessional communication to expand the scope of behavioral health concerns normally referred to mental health specialists. In addition, the webinar emphasized the need to establish clear roles for all involved parties and coordination methods.

Module 9, Part 1: PDSA Rapid-Cycle Testing

Change projects rarely progress exactly as we might expect — they evolve, adapt, and sometimes surprise us. That’s exactly why Step 9 in the change project journey introduces one of the most reliable tools for improvement: PDSA rapid-cycle testing. Organizations have used this method for years to turn good ideas into measurable, sustainable change.

To make things simple, Step 9 is split into two parts.

Part 1 walks through what PDSA rapid-cycle testing is and how your team can run a cycle from start to finish.

Part 2 brings the method to life using our family engagement change project example, showing multiple cycles and how to visualize results with a basic line chart.

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