Skip to main content
ABCT 2024 58th Annual Convention Main banner
Psychology Tools Ad
Final Program


Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.
Presentation Icons
Recorded Session
Recorded Session
Ticketed Session
Ticketed Session
Back
ViewAttendees 1

Symposia

Primary Care / Integrated Care

Improving Behavioral Health Care Access and Outcomes through Primary Care

1 - (SYM 74) Scaling a Digital Behavioral Health Interventions Ecosystem Through Primary Care Providers to Enhance Patient Reach

Saturday, November 16, 2024
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM EST
Location: Franklin 1, Level 4, Downtown Marriott
Abstract Body

Introduction. There is an established supply/demand problem in behavioral health needs. A proposed solution is to have primary care providers address patients’ behavioral health challenges directly. The current study evaluates the scaling out implementation process and effectiveness of Precision Behavioral Health (PBH), a pilot program that leverages primary care providers to refer patients directly into an ecosystem of digital interventions.

Methods. Providers were trained and given access to the PBH program on a rolling basis starting October 2023. Data for analyses were collected from the electronic health record platform until February 2024. Data included whether patients were flagged as eligible for the PBH program based on inclusion/exclusion criteria, whether and which providers offered PBH to patients, whether patient agreed, declined, or considering, and patient symptomatology was assessed using a multidimensional measure.

Results. 26 providers were trained and onboarded to PBH. 3805 patients were seen by the providers in the timeframe as part of routine care for their yearly wellness visits or new patient visits, and 2367 (62%) patients completed measures as part of care. Results showed high provider adoption, with 100% of providers referring at least 1 patient. Patient reach rate was high, with 29% (N=695) of patients with baseline measures identified as eligible for PBH. Providers offered 72% (N=502) of their patients PBH, and patient acceptance rate was high at 35% (N=187). Effectiveness results showed that 66% of patients showed clinical improvement rates at 6 weeks.

Conclusions. Primary Care providers are willing and able to successfully refer patients

to behavioral health digital interventions with minimal training time for onboarding. Patients demonstrate high level of acceptance rates, and comparable rates of improvement to those that are referred by behavioral health licensed providers. The

results have the potential to impact public health, by increasing behavioral health access for patients without adding burden to providers, providing healthcare organizations an alternative pathway to address increasing needs without having to increase personnel or introduce major organizational changes.