Magellan Health, Inc., announced that pediatric primary care provider organizations that integrate its collaborative care model (CoCM) directly into their care setting reduce barriers to access, improve provider organization satisfaction, and deliver measurable results to children and their families. The evidence-based CoCMA’s integrated approach to health care is demonstrated to enhance consumer outcomes, and has been proven effective in more than 90 randomized controlled trials, the announcement stated. Timely access to behavioral health support and the delivery of personalized care are assured.
Magellan’s approach empowers pediatric clinics using CoCM to deliver team-based behavioral health support. Outcomes of one pediatric clinic serving 7,900 children that implemented Magellan’s pediatric CoCM program included the following results:
- 84% of referred children enrolled in the program.
- 56% of children stayed engaged or graduated.
- 40% reduction in scores on the Patient Health Questionnaire-Adolescent version (PHQ-A) among program graduates.
“Magellan’s comprehensive CoCM program is based on a strong and time-tested evidence base and founded on measurement-informed care,” said Caroline Carney, M.D., chief executive officer, Magellan Health. “With our innovative approach, provider organizations gain access to critical resources directly within their clinics, enabling them to deliver seamless, team-based care with confidence and efficiency. This support is essential in ensuring lasting positive impacts for the children they serve and the families who support them.”
The CoCM solution described in the white paper, Collaborative Care Management: Transforming Pediatric Mental Healthcare, uses a team-based approach to embed behavioral health services in primary care and provide regular screening with evidence-based clinical tools to assess the child’s progress during treatment. The team includes the primary care physician (PCP), and Magellan’s behavioral health care manager and consulting psychiatrist.
The team establishes a care plan and goals for the child. Progress is assessed using validated, measurement-based behavioral health assessments, and care is adjusted as needed.
Nearly 14% of children ages 3 to 17 in the United States are diagnosed with a behavioral health condition, the report stated, but half remain untreated. The most common diagnoses are anxiety and depression. A shortage of pediatric behavioral health specialists is one barrier to care. Another is limited coordination between behavioral health provider organizations and primary care. Embedding behavioral health services within primary care settings for children can reduce wait times for behavioral health appointments.
Magellan has delivered nationally recognized behavioral health solutions to employers, health plans, and state and federal agencies for over 50 years, the report stated. Its solutions range from employee assistance programs to Medicaid services for individuals with serious mental illness.
Magellan Health announced the outcomes in Magellan Health White Paper Reveals Breakthrough in Pediatric Behavioral Health Outcomes through Collaborative Care on September 3, 2025 (accessed September 21, 2025).
The full text of Collaborative Care Management: Transforming Pediatric Mental Healthcare was published in August 2025, by Magellan Health. A free copy can be requested https://www.magellanhealthcare.com/health-plans/cocm-2/ (accessed September 17, 2025).
For more information, contact: Lilly Ackley, Vice President, Corporate Communications, Magellan Health, Inc., Email: ackleyl@magellanhealth.com; Website: https://www.magellanhealth.com/
November 2025 00US25EUA0044