RFA – Frequently Asked Questions

Developed collaboratively with pediatric primary care practices, the TEAM UP Model™ is an innovative, team-based approach to integrating behavioral health services into pediatric primary care. The model utilizes a fully integrated, multidisciplinary care team—including BHCs, CHWs, and PCPs—to promote healthy development and ensure early identification of emerging behavioral health issues and rapid access to care. Children and families are often connected with behavioral health services within their pediatric medical home on the same day a concern is identified. Multiple studies show that the model’s approach to early identification, intervention, and treatment works to increase access, improve mental health outcomes, and reduce provider burnout. Practices that implement the model join the TEAM UP Learning Community as part of a cohort, where they receive in-depth clinical training, practice transformation support, and customized, data-driven technical assistance. Refer to the “About the TEAM UP Model™” section of the RFA for complete details.

Please refer to the “Eligibility Criteria” section of the RFA. Interested practices should meet the following foundational criteria for participation:

Pediatric primary care or family medicine practice
Located in Massachusetts
Minimum patient panel of about 2,500 children and adolescents
No planned changes to the EMR system in the next 36 months
Commitment to participate in all practice transformation and evaluation activities

Practices will receive scaled funding between $100,000-$300,000 based on practice size and demonstrated need. Funds will be distributed in milestone-based payments over a 30-month period to support staffing, training, implementation, and evaluation activities. Please refer to the “Financial Support” section of the RFA for more details.

Benefits include comprehensive financial, technical, and operational support. Practices will receive access to training, technical assistance, a customized data dashboard, and ongoing professional development. For a full description of benefits to patients and families, staff/direct care providers, and organizations, refer to the “Benefits of Participation” section of the RFA.

Participating practices are expected to implement evidence-based integrated behavioral health services aligned with the TEAM UP model. This includes maintaining a fully staffed care team, who together provide care that is culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and family-centered. Practices will share data with the TEAM UP Center’s data management partner, Relevant Healthcare, to support implementation tracking and evaluation activities. Practices actively engage in Learning Community training sessions and meetings. For full details, please refer to the “Practice Expectations” and “Practice Commitments” sections and Appendix: Learning Community Overview and Practice Staffing Requirements of the RFA.

Practices will receive hands-on technical assistance, role-specific clinical training for PCPs, BHCs, and CHWs, interdisciplinary team-based training, customized data dashboards developed by Relevant Healthcare, and opportunities to engage with peer practices across the TEAM UP Learning Community. Support is designed to guide practices through model implementation, continuous improvement, and sustainability. Please refer to the “Benefits of Participation” and “Practice Commitments” sections of the RFA for full details.

Practices will receive access to a dynamic data dashboard powered by Relevant Healthcare to track metrics and performance over time. The dashboard will integrate data from EMR systems to provide real-time insights and inform the TEAM UP Center’s research and evaluation activities. A de-identified data warehouse will be accessible to the TEAM UP Center’s evaluation team. For full details, refer to the “Investment in Evaluation, Research, and Advocacy” section of the RFA.

Relevant Healthcare has a long history of partnering with community health providers, particularly federally qualified health centers, to streamline data collection processes and translate data into actionable insights through the creation of an implementation dashboard. Their expertise will enhance evaluation efforts, support meaningful participation for practices, and defray practice-level data collection and reporting burdens. See the “Financial Support“ sections and Appendix: About Relevant Healthcare in the RFA for more information.

The funding period is divided into three phases: six months for planning, eighteen months for implementation, and six months for sustainability. This structure is designed to support practices through each stage of TEAM UP model implementation. Please refer to Appendix: Learning Community Overview and Practice Staffing Requirements in the RFA for additional details.

Practices that successfully implement the TEAM UP model become TEAM UP Certified and join our growing community of certified practices. The TEAM UP Center continues to engage with certified practices by providing ongoing access to trainings and other resources, including research, advocacy, and dissemination activities designed to build the field of pediatric integrated behavioral health care. Please refer to the “Benefits of Participation” and “Practice Commitments” sections of the RFA.

TEAM UP Certification indicates that a practice has successfully implemented the TEAM UP model and completed all initiative requirements. Practices who successfully complete the 30-month initiative will receive certification. For more details, please refer to the “Benefits of Participation” section of the RFA.

The application process follows a two-step approach. First, practices submit an application that helps the TEAM UP Center understand their existing service model and integrated behavioral health (IBH) goals. Second, the TEAM UP Center conducts a follow-up discussion with each applicant to explore meaningful opportunities for engagement and support. Refer to the “Recruitment Process” section of the RFA for more details.

Please email Recruitment.TEAMUPCenter@bmc.org. The FAQ will be updated throughout the recruitment period.

The TEAM UP Center supports practices at various stages of IBH development and offers multiple engagement pathways. Please complete the TEAM UP Interest Form to share more about your practice and help us understand how we can best support your goals. Additionally, you can reach out to Recruitment.TEAMUPCenter@bmc.org for other inquiries and additional information.

Practices participating in the TEAM UP initiative will have access to consultation from a child and adolescent psychiatrist. The consulting psychiatrist provides regular case consultation, supports care team development, and helps build staff capacity to manage behavioral health concerns within primary care. The psychiatrist is also available for one-on-one consultation upon request. For additional details, please refer to the “Practice Commitments” section of the RFA.

What does “no planned changes to the EMR system in the next 36 months” mean? 
We are referring to any significant changes to your EMR system, such as transitioning to a different platform. We understand that practices may continue to make routine updates or modifications within their current EMR system, and those would not be considered disruptive. However, large-scale EMR transitions typically require substantial time and resources, and our intention is to be realistic about how that might impact a practice’s capacity to fully engage in the 30-month implementation period. For more information, please refer to the “Eligibility Criteria,” “Practice Expectations,” and “Practice Commitments” sections of the RFA.

When possible, we recommend hiring CHWs from the community served by your practice, as they are well-positioned to forge culturally responsive connections with the patient population. While hiring decisions remain the responsibility of each practice, the TEAM UP Center provides recruitment assistance, role-specific training, and onboarding support to help integrate CHWs into care teams and support practice-based supervisors.

For more information, please refer to the “Practice Commitments” and “Benefits of Participation” sections of the RFA.

The TEAM UP model is designed to increase access to timely behavioral health care by integrating services directly into the pediatric primary care setting. Many concerns are addressed within the medical home by the care team, including the Behavioral Health Clinician (BHC) and Community Health Worker (CHW), which helps reduce the need for external referrals. When referrals to community providers are needed, CHWs play a key role in supporting families through the referral process and following up to help ensure connections to care. For more information, please refer to the “About the TEAM UP Model™” and “Practice Commitments” sections of the RFA.

Award amounts will range from $100,000 to $300,000. Funding decisions will be aligned with the selection criteria and scaled based on practice size, number of participating staff, and demonstrated need. For additional information, please refer to the “Financial Support” section of the RFA.

Yes. Applications should be submitted at the practice level, and there is no limit to how many practices within a broader organization may apply. Each application will be reviewed independently. For more information, please refer to the “Eligibility Criteria” and “Recruitment Process” sections of the RFA.

Practices who are planning to undergo a significant change to their EMR system, such as transitioning to a new EMR, during the 30-month project period from September 2025 – March 2028 may be ineligible for this opportunity. In this instance, the practice would be eligible for this funding opportunity, as the EMR transition is not occurring during the 30-month project period. Practices are encouraged to carefully assess how the timing of their EMR transition may affect their ability to participate fully in this initiative.  Practices are also encouraged to contact the TEAM UP Center by email at Recruitment.TEAMUPCenter@bmc.org if you would like to discuss your particular circumstances in more detail.

No, participating practices are not responsible for directly preparing or transmitting de-identified data to Relevant Healthcare. As outlined in the RFA, data sharing is facilitated through execution of a data-sharing agreement between the practice, Relevant Healthcare, and the TEAM UP Center. We encourage practices to attend one of our upcoming Technical Assistance Office Hours on April 30 (register here) to hear directly from Relevant Healthcare about the data-sharing process. We also encourage you to bring a member of your IT team to these sessions.

The TEAM UP Model is primary care-based and has not been developed or tested for emergency medicine. Unfortunately, a Pediatric Emergency Department would not be eligible for this opportunity. 

The TEAM UP Center intends to offer additional opportunities in the future and will release a similar RFA announcement. Please follow us on our social media platforms and/or website for additional news, training opportunities, and options for collaboration.

Organizations are encouraged to approach the application from the perspective of the practice or team that will participate directly in the initiative and focus responses on the services and staff that are dedicated to serving children within that practice. If there are multiple distinct primary care practices within a single organization that would all like to participate, we would ideally ask that each practice complete an application so we can better understand their unique setting, staff, and services, and have all practices indicate where they share supports or infrastructure within the same network, system, or broader organization. Organizations that would like to discuss their particular practice structure in more detail are encouraged to contact the TEAM UP Center by email at Recruitment.TEAMUPCenter@bmc.org.

No, practices are not required to draft or submit a budget as part of their application. Funding decisions will be made by the TEAM UP Center based on demonstrated need, as assessed through the application and follow-up conversations with selected sites.