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Innovation Sites


About Innovation Sites

ACT was purposefully established in Colorado because of the receptivity of state government and the vision of state-based philanthropy that has for many years seeded redesign efforts that have made a program like ACT possible.

ACT innovation sites were selected to assure dispersion of ideas, location, practice size, business models, and populations served. All ACT innovations took a practice population approach, not a disease approach and affected all patients in their practices.

The number of participants for the 11 sites included more than 440 practice members, caring for more than 120,000 patients. The variety of practices in ACT enriched the experience base and broadened potential relevance to all practice types in Colorado and beyond.

While differing in tactics and the types of workforce used, ACT practices implemented systems to:

  • Identify people with mental health, substance use and behavioral health problems, unmet primary care needs, and other important risk factors
  • Assess seriousness and urgency of identified conditions
  • When possible, provided integrated care on-site or very nearby with warm handoffs
  • Provided structured, reliable referral channels for people needing care beyond the ability of the innovating practice
  • Conducted longitudinal tracking with further assistance by practice staff
  • Fostered deliberate teamwork across job types and professions
  • Made adaptations in clinical records to enable integration of care for individuals