Establishing the Value for Integrated Behavioral Health at RWJBH Primary Care Practices

A major challenge for Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health (RWJBH) primary care practices is managing patients with co-occurring chronic and behavioral health conditions. Integrated behavioral health (IBH) is a solution for improving quality and clinical outcomes for patients with co-occurring behavioral and physical health conditions by embedding behavioral health providers into the primary care setting. This study is a mixed methods, comparative case study using learning health system science to establish the value of IBH at RWJBH, promoting system-wide adoption via three aims: 1) Identify the top critical metrics for establishing the value of IBH; 2) Align the critical metrics with existing datasets at RWJBH practices and build a pilot dashboard; and 3) Assess the preliminary value of IBH in the case study sites. This project is being led by investigators from Rutgers Center for State Health Policy and Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care and is supported by a grant from the Learning Health System Scientist Training and Research in New Jersey (LHS STAR NJ) Research Project Award Program through the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.