University of Washington
IMPACT Implementation Center

Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
1959 NE Pacific
Box 356560
Seattle, WA 98195-6560
(206) 685-7095
http://impact-uw.org

The IMPACT model of depression care is a structured approach to increase and enhance collaboration among team members who diagnose and treat depression, anxiety, and/or chemical dependence.

Collaborative care is the cornerstone of the IMPACT model and functions in two main ways:

• The patient's primary care physician works with a care manager to develop and implement a treatment plan
• A care manager and primary care provider consult with a psychiatrist to change treatment plans if patients do not improve

The two processes underlying the model include systematic diagnosis and outcomes tracking and stepped care.

The model is flexible and adaptive—and therefore it has been tailored to suit various environments and needs—but the core elements include:

• a dedicated care manager working closely with primary care physicians to provide patient education, brief evidence-based psychotherapy, and medication support;
• adjustment of treatment according to outcomes, and
• psychiatric consultation provided to care managers and primary care providers.

The IMPACT model of depression care was developed by a group of national experts with support from the John A. Hartford Foundation and the California HealthCare Foundation. IMPACT was tested in a randomized controlled trial with 1801 depressed older adults from 18 primary care clinics in 8 diverse health care organizations across the United States. Across all 8 participating organizations, IMPACT doubled the effectiveness of usual care for depression.

Over 175 clinical sites in the United States, Canada and abroad have implemented IMPACT or its key components and we have trained over 3,000 clinicians to date in IMPACT care. Organizations have adapted IMPACT to care for a wide range of patients, including adults of all ages and adults with chronic medical illnesses.