Name
H13 - Benefits and Pitfalls of Using Warm Handoffs as an Educational Tool in Residency Education
Date & Time
Friday, October 17, 2025, 11:15 AM - 11:45 AM
Location Name
306C
Description

This session will explore the importance of integrating behavioral health collaboration and warm handoffs into residency training programs to better prepare future physicians for practice. Using survey data from an interdisciplinary team in a family medicine residency clinic, the presenters will examine both the benefits and challenges of using warm handoffs as an educational tool from the perspective of both medical learners and educators, with a focus on developing physician competency in behavioral health. Real-world examples and interactive discussions will engage attendees in developing strategies to optimize warm handoff training to enhance physician competencies while avoiding common pitfalls.

Speakers
Adrian Knauss PhD, LMFT, Faculty, Behavioral Health Clinician, Individual - Adrian Knauss, Chester, Tennessee
Adrian Knauss
Co-Authors
Isabelle Soares-Smith, MD, Resident Physician, Methodist Family Medicine Clinic, Oak Ridge, TN
Content Level
Novice
Tags
Primary Care Behavioral Health Model, Team-based care, Training/Supervision
Session Type
Concurrent
SIG or Committee
Medicine, Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH)
Objective 1
Identify key strategies for embedding warm handoff training into residency programs.
Objective 2
Discuss common challenges and solutions for implementing warm handoffs as an educational tool in medical education settings.
Objective 3
Apply lessons from our residency training model to enhance behavioral health collaboration to enhance physician competency
Content Reference 1

Hunter, C. L., Goodie, J. L., Oordt, M. S., & Dobmeyer, A. C. (2009). Integrated behavioral health in primary care. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Content Reference 2

Young, N. D., Mathews, B. L., Pan, A. Y., Herndon, J. L., Bleck, A. A., & Takala, C. R. (2020). Warm handoff, or cold shoulder? An analysis of handoffs for primary care behavioral health consultation on patient engagement and systems utilization. Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology, 8(3), 241-246. https://doi.org/10.1037/cpp0000360

Content Reference 3

Koehler, A. N., Sudano, L. E., Ip, E., Davis, S. W., Marion, G. S., & Kirk, J. K. (2020). Patient experience of an integrated care model in a family practice clinic & FQHC. The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, 55(5), 357-365. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091217420951059

Content Reference 4

Hill, J. M. (2015). Behavioral health integration: Transforming patient care, medical resident education, and physician effectiveness. The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, 50(1), 36-49. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091217415592357