Improving adherence to mental health treatment in a low-income clinic

The increasing prevalence of mental illness in the United States presents significant challenges for primary care providers in low-income settings. Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) programs have resulted in improved general health for low-income participants; however, managing appointment adherence, in which the patient attends appointment as scheduled, is particularly challenging. The purpose of this pilot project was to implement bundled interventions at a low-income primary care clinic to improve patient adherence to behavioral health treatment. The bundle of interventions included: 1) educational interventions emphasizing the benefits of IBH care 2) warm patient handoffs between the primary care provider to a behavioral health specialist at the primary care appointment, and 3) follow-up calls by behavioral health counselors for missed appointments. After the introduction of interventions, the average number of patients who no-showed for their appointment decreased by 60%, and the average number of patients who cancelled decreased by 15%. These differences were significant (x2 = 9.263, df = 2, p \u3c 0.01). This pilot project showed that patients who were exposed to the bundle were more likely to keep their appointments and less likely to miss