Warm Handoffs may Not Improve Attendance at Behavioral Health Clinics

Warm handoffs are not associated with improved attendance at behavioral health intake appointments, a new study finds.

The research team found that the most significant predictor of attendance at an initial intake was time from referral until appointment, consistent with other studies in specialty mental health and other clinical settings.

‘Warm handoffs are not associated with improved attendance at behavioral health intake appointments, according to a new study.’

The authors call for a prospective study comparing different types of warm handoffs to standard referrals to determine if warm hand-offs improve attendance at initial intake appointments and which features are most beneficial.

Such a study could also evaluate whether certain patient groups benefit more than others from warm handoffs, and if this type of referral can help address disparities in attendance across demographic groups and diagnoses.

In the interim, they suggest that making wait times for appointments as brief as possible is likely to improve attendance at integrated behavioral health intake appointments.

Source: Eurekalert