Name
Warm Handoff Activation Across Stages of Integrated Behavioral Health Exposure in Primary Care: An Early Implementation Evaluation
Description

This session presents early implementation findings examining warm handoff utilization as an operational indicator of integrated behavioral health activation in primary care. Using resident-month clinical workflow data, we explore how warm handoff rates change across stages of behavioral health integration exposure within a real-world training environment. Results show a progressive directional increase in warm handoff activation despite substantial clinical variability, highlighting the complexity of measuring integrated care adoption in practice settings. The session will discuss practical considerations for using operational metrics to monitor team-based care implementation and will outline next steps for advancing evaluation using longitudinal and multi-level analytic approaches. Attendees will leave with a pragmatic framework for translating workforce exposure into measurable implementation outcomes.

Speakers
David Johnson, PhD, LMFT
Content Level
Intermediate
Tags
Research and evaluation, Team-based care, Workforce development
Session Type
Concurrent
Objective 1
Describe how warm handoffs function as an operational indicator of integrated behavioral health activation within primary care settings.
Objective 2
Interpret differences in warm handoff utilization across stages of behavioral health integration exposure using descriptive and exploratory analytic approaches.
Objective 3
Identify practical considerations for using routine operational clinic data to evaluate team-based behavioral health integration in real-world practice environments.
Content Reference 1

Reiss-Brennan, B., Brunisholz, K. D., Dredge, C., Briot, P., Grazier, K., Wilcox, A., Savitz, L., & James, B. (2016). Association of integrated team-based care with health care quality, utilization, and cost. JAMA, 316(8), 826–834. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2016.11232

Content Reference 2

Peek, C. J., National Integration Academy Council. (2013). Lexicon for behavioral health and primary care integration: Concepts and definitions developed by expert consensus. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. https://integrationacademy.ahrq.gov

Content Reference 3

Robinson, P. J., & Reiter, J. T. (2016). Behavioral consultation and primary care: A guide to integrating services (2nd ed.). Springer.

Content Reference 4

Wray, L. O., Scherrer, J. F., Bartels, S. J., & Bosworth, H. B. (2018). Integrated care and behavioral health in primary care settings: Current evidence and future directions. American Psychologist, 73(4), 465–478. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000320

Content Reference 5

World Health Organization. (2018). Integrating mental health into primary care: A global perspective. World Health Organization.