A blueprint for integrated mental health care: Commentary for "Costs of using evidence-based implementation strategies for behavioral health integration in a large primary care system".
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Chang TE
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7704473 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
A blueprint for integrated mental health care: Commentary for "Costs of using evidence-based implementation strategies for behavioral health integration in a large primary care system".
Chang Trina E TE Ferris Timothy G TG
Health services research 20201201 6
Similar Datasets
Project description:ObjectiveTo describe the cost of using evidence-based implementation strategies for sustained behavioral health integration (BHI) involving population-based screening, assessment, and identification at 25 primary care sites of Kaiser Permanente Washington (2015-2018).Data sources/study settingProject records, surveys, Bureau of Labor Statistics compensation data.Study designLabor and nonlabor costs incurred by three implementation strategies: practice coaching, electronic health records clinical decision support, and performance feedback.Data collection/extraction methodsPersonnel time spent on these strategies was estimated for five broad roles: (a) project leaders and administrative support, (b) practice coaches, (c) clinical decision support programmers, (d) performance metric programmers, and (e) primary care local implementation team members.Principal findingImplementation involved 286 persons, 18 131 person-hours, costing $1 587 139 or $5 per primary care visit with screening or $38 per primary care visit identifying depression, suicidal thoughts and/or alcohol or substance use disorders, in a single year. The majority of person-hours was devoted to project leadership (35%) and practice coaches (34%), and 36% of costs were for the first three sites.ConclusionsWhen spread across patients screened in a single year, BHI implementation costs were well within the range for commonly used diagnostic assessments in primary care (eg, laboratory tests). This suggests that implementation costs alone should not be a substantial barrier to population-based BHI.
| S-EPMC7704468 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Behavioral health integration (BHI) within primary care settings is shown to improve outcomes. However, achieving BHI requires identifying best practices and a reliable tool that can be used to measure existing levels and progress toward BHI. The objective of this study was to develop and apply a conceptual framework to measure BHI, test the approach, and examine challenges to achieving BHI. Surveys and interviews were conducted with key informants within 17 designated public hospitals in California at the midpoint of participating in a 5-year project to establish BHI. A framework and coding methodology were developed to assess BHI best practices at each hospital. BHI status was assessed in the domains of infrastructure and process. Each domain included 5 themes such as electronic health record integration and functionality (infrastructure) and interprovider communication (process). Themes were assessed using a 6-point scale for various activities under a theme and associated weights. Theme-specific values were standardized from 0% to 100% to compare BHI scores between hospitals. Overall progress toward BHI ranged from scores of 52% to 83% (mean 63%) and indicated greater contribution of infrastructure versus process implementation. Within the infrastructure domain, scores were higher for having institutional and provider support, but lagged in establishing provider proximity. Within the process domain, scores were highest for implementation of behavioral health screening, but were frequently lower for other themes such as use of care coordination and referral processes. Further research is needed to test the robustness of this approach in other settings.
| S-EPMC10024064 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Implementation experts suggest tailoring strategies to the intended context may enhance outcomes. However, it remains unclear which strategies are best suited to address specific barriers to implementation, in part because few measurement methods exist that adhere to recommendations for reporting. In the context of a dynamic cluster randomized trial comparing a standardized to tailored approach to implementing measurement-based care (MBC), this study aimed to (a) describe a method for tracking implementation strategies, (b) demonstrate the method by tracking strategies generated by teams tasked with implementing MBC at their clinics in the tailored condition, and (c) conduct preliminary examinations of the relation between strategy use and implementation outcomes (i.e., self-reported fidelity to MBC). The method consisted of a coding form based on Proctor, Powell, and McMillen (2013) implementation strategy reporting guidelines and Powell et al.'s (2012) taxonomy to facilitate specification of the strategies. A trained research specialist coded digitally recorded implementation team meetings. The method allowed for the following characterization of strategy use. Each site generated 39 unique strategies across an average of six meetings in five months. There was little variability in the use of types of implementation strategies across sites with the following order of prevalence: quality management (50.00%), restructuring (16.53%), communication (15.68%), education (8.90%), planning (7.20%), and financing (1.69%). We identified a new category of strategies not captured by the existing taxonomy, labeled "communication." There was no evidence that number of implementation strategies enacted was statistically significantly associated with changes in self-reported fidelity to MBC-however, financing strategies were associated with increased fidelity. This method has the capacity to yield rich data that will inform investigations into tailored implementation approaches.
| S-EPMC6020155 | biostudies-literature
Project description:OBJECTIVE:Examine how behavioral health (BH) integration affects health care costs, emergency department (ED) visits, and inpatient admissions. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING:Truven Health MarketScan Research Databases. STUDY DESIGN:Social network analysis identified "care communities" (providers sharing a high number of patients) and measured BH integration in terms of how connected, or central, BH providers were to other providers in their community. Multivariable generalized linear models adjusting for age, sex, number of prescriptions, and Charlson comorbidity score were used to estimate the relationship between the centrality of BH providers and health care utilization of BH patients. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS:Used outpatient, inpatient, and pharmacy claims data from six Medicaid plans from 2011 to 2013 to identify study outcomes, comorbidities, providers, and health care encounters. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:Behavioral health centrality ranged from 0 (no BH providers) to 0.49. Relative to communities at the median BH centrality (0.06), in 2012, BH patients in communities at the 75th percentile of BH centrality (0.31) had 0.2 fewer admissions, 2.1 fewer all-cause ED visits, and accrued $1,947 fewer costs, on average. CONCLUSIONS:Increased behavioral centrality was significantly associated with a reduced number of ED visits, less frequent inpatient admissions, and lower overall health care costs.
| S-EPMC6232391 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo perform a factor analysis of the Practice Integration Profile (PIP), a 30-item practice-level measure of primary care and behavioral health integration derived from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Lexicon for Behavioral Health and Primary Care Integration.Data sourcesThe PIP was completed by 735 individuals, representing 357 practices across the United States.Study designThe study design was a cross-sectional survey. An exploratory factor analysis and assessment of internal consistency reliability via Cronbach's alpha were performed.Data collection methodsParticipant responses were collected using REDCap, a secure, web-based data capture tool.Principal findingsFive of the PIP's six domains had factor loadings for most items related to each factor representing the PIP of 0.50 or greater. However, one factor had items from two PIP domains that had loadings >0.50. A five-factor model with redistributed items resulted in improved factor loadings for all domains along with greater internal consistency reliability (>0.80).ConclusionsFive of the PIP's six domains demonstrated excellent internal consistency for measures of health care resources. Although minor improvements to strengthen the PIP are possible, it is a valid and reliable measure of the integration of primary care and behavioral health.
| S-EPMC6407343 | biostudies-literature
Project description:U.S. health care systems are tasked with alleviating the burden of mental health, but are frequently underprepared and lack workforce and resource capacity to deliver services to all in need. Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) can increase access to evidence-based mental health care. However, DMHIs commonly do not fit into the day-to-day activities of the people who engage with them, resulting in a research-to-practice gap for DMHI implementation. For health care settings, differences between digital and traditional mental health services make alignment and integration challenging. Specialized attention is needed to improve the implementation of DMHIs in health care settings so that these services yield high uptake, engagement, and sustainment. The purpose of this article is to enhance efforts to integrate DMHIs in health care settings by proposing implementation strategies, selected and operationalized based on the discrete strategies established in the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change project, that align to DMHI-specific barriers in these settings. Guidance is offered in how these strategies can be applied to DMHI implementation across four phases commonly distinguished in implementation science using the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment Framework. Next steps to advance research in this area and improve the research-to-practice gap for implementing DMHIs are recommended. Applying implementation strategies to DMHI implementation will enable psychologists to systematically evaluate this process, which can yield an enhanced understanding of the factors that facilitate implementation success and improve the translation of DMHIs from controlled trials to real-world settings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
| S-EPMC7709140 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundIntegrating behavioral health services in primary care is challenging; a toolkit approach to practice implementation can help. A recent comparative effectiveness randomized clinical trial examined the impact of a toolkit for improving integration on outcomes for patients with multiple chronic conditions. Some aspects of behavioral health integration improved; patient-reported outcomes did not. This report evaluates the implementation strategy (Toolkit) using Proctor's (2011) implementation outcomes model.MethodsUsing data from the 20 practices randomized to the active (toolkit strategy) arm (education, redesign workbooks, online learning community, remote coaching), we identified 23 measures from practice member surveys, coach interviews, reports, and field logs to assess Toolkit acceptability, appropriateness, feasibility, and fidelity. A practice survey score was high (met expectations) if its average was ≥ 4 on a scale 1-5; all other data were coded dichotomously, with high = 1.ResultsRegarding acceptability, 74% (14) of practices had high scores for willingness of providers and staff to use the Toolkit and 68% (13) for quality improvement teams liking the Toolkit. For appropriateness, 95% (19) of practices had high scores for the structured process being a good match and 63% (12) for the Toolkit being a good match. Feasibility, measured by Toolkit prerequisites, was scored lower by site members at project end (e.g., provider leader available as champion: 53% of practices) compared to remote coaches observing practice teams (74%). For "do-ability," coaches rated feasibility lower for practices (e.g., completion of workbook activities: 32%) than the practice teams (68%). Fidelity was low as assessed across seven measures, with 50% to 78% of practices having high scores across the seven measures.ConclusionsExisting data from large trials can be used to describe implementation outcomes. The Toolkit was not implemented with fidelity in at least one quarter of the sites, despite being acceptable and appropriate, possibly due to low feasibility in the form of unmet prerequisites and Toolkit complexity. Variability in fidelity reflects the importance of implementation strategies that fit each organization, suggesting that further study on contextual factors and use of the Toolkit, as well as the relationship of Toolkit use and study outcomes, is needed.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT02868983; date of registration: 08/15/2016.
| S-EPMC11545095 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesTo identify existing evidence concerning the cost of dissemination and implementation (D&I) strategies in community, public health and health service research, mapped with the 'Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change' (ERIC) taxonomy.DesignScoping review.Data sourcesMEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus and the Cochrane Library were searched to identify any English language reports that had been published between January 2008 and December 2019 concerning the cost of D&I strategies.Data extractionWe matched the strategies identified in each article using ERIC taxonomies; further classified them into five areas (eg, dissemination, implementation, integration, capacity building and scale-up); and extracted the corresponding costs (total costs and cots per action target and per evidence-based programme (EBP) participant). We also recorded the reported level of costing methodology used for cost assessment of D&I strategies.ResultsOf the 6445 articles identified, 52 studies were eligible for data extraction. Lack of D&I strategy cost data was the predominant reason (55% of the excluded studies) for study exclusion. Predominant topic, setting, country and research design in the included studies were mental health (19%), primary care settings (44%), the US (35%) and observational (42%). Thirty-five (67%) studies used multicomponent D&I strategies (ranging from two to five discrete strategies). The most frequently applied strategies were Conduct ongoing training (50%) and Conduct educational meetings (23%). Adoption (42%) and reach (27%) were the two most frequently assessed outcomes. The overall costs of Conduct ongoing training ranged from $199 to $105 772 ($1-$13 973 per action target and $0.02-$412 per EBP participant); whereas the cost of Conduct educational meetings ranged from $987 to $1.1-$2.9 million/year ($33-$54 869 per action target and $0.2-$146 per EBP participant). The wide range of costs was due to the varying scales of the studies, intended audiences/diseases and the complexities of the strategy components. Most studies presented limited information on costing methodology, making interpretation difficult.ConclusionsThe quantity of published D&I strategy cost analyses is increasing, yet guidance on conducting and reporting of D&I strategy cost analysis is necessary to facilitate and promote the application of comparative economic evaluation in the field of D&I research.
| S-EPMC9240875 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Integration of behavioral and general medical care can improve outcomes for individuals with behavioral health conditions-serious mental illness (SMI) and substance use disorder (SUD). However, behavioral health care has historically been segregated from general medical care in many countries. We provide the first population-level evidence on the effects of Medicaid health homes (HH) on behavioral health care service use. Medicaid, a public insurance program in the United States, HHs were created under the 2010 Affordable Care Act to coordinate behavioral and general medical care for enrollees with behavioral health conditions. As of 2016, 16 states had adopted an HH for enrollees with SMI and/or SUD. We use data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health over the period 2010 to 2016 coupled with a two-way fixed-effects model to estimate HH effects on behavioral health care utilization. We find that HH adoption increases service use among enrollees, although mental health care treatment findings are sensitive to specification. Further, enrollee self-reported health improves post-HH.
| S-EPMC7863583 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesMany behavioral health providers (BHPs) in primary care practices spend a majority of their time addressing mental health rather than behavior change. We wanted to better understand the practice of BHPs in integrated primary care.MethodsSurvey of BHPs from practices participating in the Colorado State Innovation Model (SIM) initiative. The survey measured what diagnoses BHPs receive referrals to treat, what they treat regardless of referral reason, which techniques they use, and think are most effective for mental health diagnoses and behavior change/weight management support, and their interest in providing support for weight management. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Spearman correlations.ResultsWe received 79 surveys representing 64 out of 248 SIM practices (practice response rate of 26%). BHPs reported addressing health-related behaviors with patients referred to them for mental health diagnoses. They expressed interest in health behavior and believed the techniques they use for traditional mental health diagnoses also support behavior change. Most reported using cognitive behavioral therapy (89%), mindfulness (94%), and relaxation/stress management (94%). Time in practice was associated with receiving more referrals for weight management (rho(76) = .271, P = .018) and with addressing diet (rho(75) = .339, P = .003) and weight management (rho(75) = .323, P = .005). BHPs in practices that had care managers were more likely to report receiving referrals for weight management than BHPs in practices that did not employ a case manager (rτ(76) = .222, P = .038); practices employing a health coach were more likely to receive referrals for physical activity than practices without a health coach (rτ(76) = .257, P = .015).ConclusionsBHPs are interested in and frequently address health related behavior. Formalizing health behavior services from BHPs in primary care may provide opportunities to better support patients with behavior change and subsequently improve health outcomes.
| S-EPMC10155017 | biostudies-literature