Study to Promote Innovation in Rural Integrated Telepsychiatry

Summary

Background: Community Health Centers care for over 20 million rural, low income and minority Americans every year. Patients often have complex mental health problems such as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Bipolar Disorder. However, Community Health Centers located in rural areas face substantial challenges to managing these patients due to lack of onsite mental health specialists, stigma and poor geographic access to specialty mental health services in the community. As a consequence, many rural primary care providers feel obligated, yet unprepared, to manage these disorders, and many patients receive inadequate treatment and continue to struggle with their symptoms. While integrated care models and telepsychiatry referral models are both promising approaches to managing patients with complex mental health problems in rural primary care settings, there have been no studies comparing which approach is more effective for which types of patients. Objectives: The central question examined by this study is whether it is better for offsite mental health specialists to support primary care providers' treatment of patients with PTSD and Bipolar Disorder through an integrated care model or to use telemedicine technology to facilitate referrals to offsite mental health specialists. We hypothesize that patients randomized to integrated care will have better outcomes than patients randomized to referral care. Methods: 1,000 primary care patients screening positive for PTSD or Bipolar Disorder will be recruited from Community Health Centers in three states (Arkansas, Michigan and Washington) and randomized to the integrated care model or the referral model. Patient Outcomes: Telephone surveys will be administered to patients at enrollment and at 6 and 12 month follow-ups. Telephone surveys will measure access to care, therapeutic alliance with providers, patient-centeredness, patient activation, satisfaction with care, appointment attendance, medication adherence, self-reported clinical symptoms, medication side-effects, health related quality of life, and progress towards life goals. A sub-sample of patients will be invited to participate in qualitative interviews to describe their treatment experience using their own words. Likewise, primary care providers will be invited to participate in qualitative interviews to voice their perspective.

Conditions

• Bipolar Disorder
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Telepsychiatry Collaborative Care

The telepsychiatrist will also conduct an initial consultation with the patient via interactive video to establish the diagnosis and recommend medications to prescribe. Onsite primary care providers prescribe psychotropic medications. Onsite care managers work with patients either face-to-face or by phone to promote adherence to treatment and assess treatment response. Care managers provide Behavioral Activation either face-to-face or by phone. Care managers have weekly provider-to-provider consultations with the telepsychiatrist to review treatment plans for patients not responding to treatment. The telepsychiatrist will make revised treatment recommendations to the primary care provider.

BEHAVIORAL

Telepsychiatry Enhanced Referral

The offsite telepsychiatrist and/or telepsychologist delivers the treatment via interactive video to patients located at primary care clinics. Telepsychiatrists/telepsychologists administer symptom rating scales at each session. The first encounter will be with the telepsychiatrist to establish diagnosis and develop a treatment plan consisting of algorithm-informed medication management and/or evidence-based psychotherapy. The telepsychiatrists will prescribe medications. Psychotherapy options include Cognitive Processing Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. If a patient does not engage in treatment (\<=2 encounters) in the first six months, they will be randomized a second time to continued Telepsychiatry Enhanced Referral or Telephone Enhanced Referral for the second six months. Phone Enhanced Referral involves delivering psychiatric and/or psychological treatment (either initially or exclusively) by telephone to patients in their home.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Arkansas

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Michigan

  collaborator OTHER

• Oregon Health and Science University

  collaborator OTHER

• Washington State University

  collaborator OTHER

• HealthPartners Institute

  collaborator OTHER

• Kaiser Permanente

  collaborator OTHER

• Community Health Centers of Arkansas

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Michigan Primary Care Association

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Community Health Plan of Washington

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University of Washington

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• John Fortney, PhD · University of Washington

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2016-11-30

Primary Completion

2020-06-30

Completion

2020-12-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations