Behavioral Health Consultants in Rural Integrated Healthcare: A Systematic Replication and Program Evaluation

As the healthcare demand in the United States increases, the strain on available healthcare resources becomes more evident, marked by limited access to services and physician shortages. To meet growing patient demands, the Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) model focuses on improving clinical outcomes, fiscal expenses, patient satisfaction, and provider satisfaction in primary care settings through the integration of behavioral health consultants (BHCs; Sandoval, Bell, Khatri, & Robinson, 2018). The present study was a systematic replication of a previously conducted program evaluation examining the impact of BHC services within a primary care practice in a rural Oregon county, focusing on provider satisfaction, patient satisfaction, and cost offsets. Results indicated significant increases in provider satisfaction compared to initial survey results in 2014. Positive levels for patient satisfaction were also reported. Fiscal decreases were minimal, with small effect sizes for ambulance services (d = 0.29), labs (d = 0.35), and facility expenses (d = 0.27). In all, results of the present study support the use of BHC services in the integrated primary care model to meet the needs of patients and providers alike