Payer-Provider Partnership to Identify Successful Retention Strategies for the Behavioral Health Workforce

High staff turnover rates are a burden for behavioral health providers because they may negatively impact staff morale, quality of care, and clinical outcomes as well as increase costs. The Staff Assessment and Retention (STAR) Project is a partnership between a behavioral health managed care organization and community-based providers designed to: 1) share information on research-based approaches, 2) identify strategies that providers find successful yet feasible, and 3) develop a learning community around research-based, community-informed strategies to increase staff retention.

Participants from 87 community-based behavioral health providers completed a survey about successful strategies and barriers to staff retention, current retention and turnover rates, and ratings of commonly used strategies supported by research. Results were shared and discussed across the partnership through a learning community including a webinar co-facilitated by two participating providers.

Successfully demonstrated but less utilized strategies included use of exit and stay interviews, training in best practices, availability of electronic records and other technology, and flexible work schedules. Providers reported the type of employment offered (full or part time, benefits, competitive wage; reported in 17% of responses), ability to offer trainings and staff development (13%) and using staff feedback (10%) were most important to retention.

The partnership demonstrated that providers desire a vehicle for sharing ideas and problem-solving issues related to the behavioral health workforce. The endorsement by several community-based providers of lower-utilized strategies known to improve retention would not be realized across the community without the collaboration of the payer-provider partnership.