CLEVELAND – University Hospitals has been approved for funding by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to implement a new telehealth-based approach to treat complex psychiatric disorders. The study is co-led by Mary Gabriel, MD, MSc, Senior Director, Behavioral Health in Population Health Primary Care Institute, UH Cleveland Medical Center and Marlene Miller, M.D., M.S., UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Chief Scientific Officer.
Accessing mental health care has many barriers, a major one being a national shortage and geographically unbalanced distribution of mental health clinicians. Currently, only about one-third of individuals with complex psychiatric disorders receive specialty mental health care, and many who are treated in primary care settings do not receive adequate care.
This nearly $1 million in funding will expand University Hospitals’ collaborative care model from 26 practices to all 88 practices within the UH Primary Care Institute. The program integrates mental health support into primary care by including a behavioral health coordinator, typically a licensed mental health professional, alongside other care team members. It will also broaden services to include screening and treatment for conditions such as bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
“This funding gives us the opportunity to bring timely, coordinated mental health support into the places where patients already receive care,” said Dr. Gabriel. “By expanding telepsychiatry within primary care, we can reach people earlier, reduce gaps in treatment, and better support individuals living with complex psychiatric conditions. We’re optimistic it will ultimately help people make real progress in their health and quality of life.”
This project will focus on implementing PCORI-funded comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) showing the clinical effectiveness of two telehealth-based models for treating adults with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and bipolar disorder.
“This represents an important step toward making mental health care more accessible and responsive to patients’ needs,” said Dr. Miller. “By integrating telepsychiatry into primary care, we can reduce barriers and help more individuals living with complex conditions find a path toward stability and better health.”
This study was selected through PCORI’s highly competitive review process in which patients, caregivers and other stakeholders join scientists to evaluate proposals.
“This PCORI funding award will support University Hospitals in delivering meaningful improvements in symptoms and progress toward clinical goals for individuals living with complex psychiatric disorders,” said PCORI Executive Director Nakela L. Cook, M.D., MPH. “This project exemplifies PCORI’s commitment to making the results of patient-centered CER more accessible and usable for those who need them — helping patients, caregivers and the broader health care community make better-informed health care decisions and improve care delivery and outcomes. We look forward to following the project’s progress.”
University Hospitals is a participant in PCORI’s Health Systems Implementation Initiative (HSII) and was selected for funding through a PCORI funding opportunity supporting HSII participants in advancing evidence-based practice. HSII aims to help close the estimated 17-year gap between when research findings are published and when they are applied in clinical care. This initiative recognizes that health systems’ practical experience and real-world insights are crucial for sustainable, large-scale implementation of practice-changing findings in clinical care.
The funding award to University Hospitals has been approved pending completion of PCORI’s business and programmatic review and issuance of a formal award contract.
PCORI is a nonprofit organization with a mission to fund patient-centered CER designed to provide patients and those who care for them with evidence to make better-informed health care decisions.
Additional information about this study can be found here.