The number of child Medicaid beneficiaries with mental health or substance use disorders who received treatment in primary care via the psychiatric collaborative care model (CoCM) increased dramatically between 2018 and 2023. For children ages 6 to 11, the number served through CoCM increased from 66 in 2018 to 2,530 in 2023. For older children ages 12 to 17, the number served through CoCM increased from 96 in 2018 to 3,973 in 2023.
Under CoCM, the primary care provider (PCP) is responsible for treating individuals with mental health and substance use disorders. The model includes four core components to support the PCP: a behavioral health care manager working in-person or virtually; a psychiatric consultant who typically works virtually to provide systematic caseload review, and diagnostic and treatment recommendations to the primary care team; measurement-based care with defined treatment targets; and use of a patient registry to track symptoms and interventions, which is reviewed systematically by the care team.
Nationally, 16% of Medicaid beneficiaries served through CoCM were under age 18 in 2023. Among states with substantial CoCM volume, the corresponding percentage ranged from 0% in Minnesota to 40% in Washington State.
The share of Medicaid CoCM consumers who were ages 6 to 11 increased from 2% in 2018 to 6% in 2023. The share of Medicaid CoCM consumers who were ages 12 to 17 increased from 3% in 2018 to 9% in 2023. In each year from 2018 to 2023, the percentage of all Medicaid beneficiaries served through CoCM who were under six years old ranged from 1% to 2.5%.
These statistics were reported in Progress Report: Psychiatric Collaborative Care Model (CoCM) by Shatterproof and The Bowman Family Foundation. The study was commissioned by the Mental Health Treatment and Research Institute LLC (MHTARI), a tax-exempt subsidiary of The Bowman Family Foundation. The research for the study regarding commercial health plans is based upon de-identified, aggregated healthcare claims data compiled and maintained by FAIR Health Inc. Results of the analysis of such data were provided to MHTARI for analysis by MHTARI. Separately, an analysis of Medicaid and Medicare claims data was requested by MHTARI and conducted by RTI International. Neither FAIR Health nor RTI International is responsible for any of the opinions or recommendations expressed in the study.
Nationally, the rate of use of CoCM for commercial plan members increased from 12 consumers per 100,000 consumers of any age with a mental health or substance use diagnosis in 2018 to 317 per 100,000 in 2024. Based on a separate large proprietary database cited i the report, the average length of a CoCM episode lasted 4.1 months. Based on various combinations of billing codes, aggregate provider organization reimbursement for an episode averages between approximately $475 to $650 for Medicare and Medicaid (assuming reimbursement at 100% of Medicare levels), and approximately $760 to $1,040 for commercial plans (assuming reimbursement at 160% of Medicare levels).
The full text of Progress Report: Psychiatric Collaborative Care Model (CoCM) was published on February 14, 2026, by The Bowman Family Foundation. A free copy is available (accessed February 11, 2026).
For more information, contact:
- Holly Jespersen, Senior Manager, Executive Communications, Shatterproof, 56 Broad Street, Suite 14069, Boston, Massachusetts 02109; 800-597-2557; Email: Hjespersen@shatterproof.org; Website: https://www.shatterproof.org/
- Matt Bowman, The Bowman Family Foundation; 302-234-5750; Email: Matt.Bowman@TheBowmanFamilyFoundation.org; Website: https://thebowmanfamilyfoundation.org/
March 2026 00US26EUA0007