Name
C12 - What’s in a WHO? Determining The Impact of Warm Handoffs (WHOs)
Description

The warm handoff (WHO) has long been considered an essential element of integrated behavioral health (IBH) and seen as critical to improving patient access and engagement with behavioral health services. While some studies have demonstrated that WHOs have the desired effect of improving engagement with behavioral health, other studies have revealed contradictory results. The presenters will share results from a study examining the impact of WHOs on patient access and behavioral health services engagement utilizing a large dataset, spanning 2018-2023 and collected from 10 integrated primary care clinics. The presenters will also engage attendees in exploring how they may leverage EHR data in their home institutions to explore the impact of WHOs.

Date & Time
Thursday, October 24, 2024, 2:15 PM - 3:15 PM
Speakers
Florencia Lebensohn-Chialvo, Associate Clinical Professor, UC- San Diego Health
William Sieber, Director, Integrated Behavioral Health, UCSD Family Medicine Residency Program
Sarah Merrill, Associate Clinical Professor/Family and Sports Medicine physician, UC San Diego Health, Family Medicine Department
Laura Sudano, Associate Director, Collaborative Care, UCSD Family Medicine Residency Program
William Sieber Sarah Merrill
Content Level
All Audience
Tags
Research and evaluation (e.g. data analysis methods), Social determinants of health (SDoH)
Session Type
Concurrent
SIG or Committee
REC
Location Name
Bonham B
Objective 1
Articulate current literature of the impact of WHOs on patient engagement and patient access to behavioral health services.
Objective 2
Identify factors that may contribute to initiation of WHOs and patient engagement with behavioral health services.
Objective 3
Identify ways EHR can serve as tool to examine impact of WHOs on behavioral health outcomes.
Content Reference 1
Anand, P., & Desai, N. (2023). Correlation of warm handoffs versus electronic referrals and engagement with mental health services co-located in a pediatric primary care clinic. Journal of Adolescent Health, 73(2), 325-330.
Content Reference 2
Horevitz, E., Organista, K.C., Arean, P.A. (2015).  Depression treatment uptake in integrated primary care: How a “warm handoff” and other factors affect decision making by Latinos.  Psychiatric Services, 66(8), 824-830.
Content Reference 3
Pace CA, Gergen-Barnett K, Veidis A, D'Afflitti J, Worcester J, Fernandez P, Lasser KE. Warm Handoffs and Attendance at Initial Integrated Behavioral Health Appointments. Ann Fam Med. 2018 Jul;16(4):346-348. doi: 10.1370/afm.2263. PMID: 29987084; PMCID: PMC6037516.
Content Reference 4
Taylor RM, Minkovitz CS. Warm Handoffs for Improving Client Receipt of Services: A Systematic Review. Matern Child Health J. 2021 Apr;25(4):528-541. doi: 10.1007/s10995-020-03057-4. Epub 2021 Jan 3. PMID: 33392929.