Scaling out a Digital-First Behavioral Health Care Model to Primary Care.

Area of Science:

• Digital health interventions
• Primary care integration
• Behavioral health access

Background:

• Established supply/demand challenges in behavioral healthcare.
• Proposed solution: primary care providers (PCPs) managing behavioral health needs.
• Need for adaptable, scalable digital solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To adapt and evaluate Precision Behavioral Health (PBH), a digital-first model for behavioral health referrals from primary care.
• To assess the feasibility, adoption, and patient outcomes of the PBH model.
• To gather provider feedback for program optimization.

Main Methods:

• User-centered design and mixed-methods approach for adaptation.
• Pilot trial involving PCPs, medical assistants, and nursing staff.
• Evaluation using the RE-AIM framework and semi-structured interviews.

Main Results:

• PBH reached 39.5% of primary care patients; 26.1% accepted referrals.
• Of those accepting, 78.2% registered, 74.0% activated digital interventions, 59.1% showed clinical improvement.
• 90.5% of providers adopted PBH, reporting positive experiences and low burden.

Conclusions:

• Primary care providers are willing and able to refer patients to digital behavioral health interventions.
• The PBH model demonstrates high patient acceptance and clinical improvement rates.
• This digital-first approach increases behavioral health access without increasing provider burden.