Associations between years of provider experience within integrated primary care clinics and utilization of behavioral health support. Buhr, N., Dueweke, A.
Abstract
As many as 50-70% of patients seen in primary care have psychological symptoms that can affect their daily functioning. Integrated care approaches that embed mental health professionals into primary care settings are thought to increase access to needed behavioral health care. Successful implementation of integrated care depends on primary care providers’ (PCPs’) willingness to involve behavioral health providers in their patient care, which may be dependent on how much exposure they have to integrated care approaches. The current study aims to examine the relationship between PCP years of experience within integrated care and utilization of on-site behavioral health support. It is hypothesized that more time working in integrated care will be associated with greater involvement of on-site behavioral health providers in patient care. Sixty-seven PCPs from integrated care clinics across the country (Mage = 38.4 years, 56.7% female, 56.7% white) answered questions about years of experience working in integrated primary care and about the percentage of their patient panel for whom they seek behavioral health consultation. The relationship between years of experience and behavioral health referral rates was examined using a simple linear regression. On average, participants reported 6.01 years of experience working in integrated care settings (SD = 6.15) and said they refer patients to their on-site behavioral health provider 21-30% of the time. Results indicated no significant association between years of experience in integrated care and utilization of on-site behavioral health providers (B = - 0.01, p = .936). Our sample consisted primarily of PCPs with lots of integrated care experience who involve their on-site behavioral health providers in patient care fairly often, which may explain the null relationship between years of experience and behavioral health utilization. Future research should explore this topic in a larger sample with a wider range of integrated care experience.
Start Time
15-4-2026 9:00 AM
End Time
15-4-2026 12:00 PM
Room Number
Culp Ballroom 316
Poster Number
13
Presentation Type
Poster
Presentation Subtype
Posters - Competitive
Presentation Category
Social Sciences
Student Type
Graduate and Professional Degree Students, Residents, Fellows
Faculty Mentor
Aubrey Dueweke
Associations between years of provider experience within integrated primary care clinics and utilization of behavioral health support. Buhr, N., Dueweke, A.
Culp Ballroom 316
As many as 50-70% of patients seen in primary care have psychological symptoms that can affect their daily functioning. Integrated care approaches that embed mental health professionals into primary care settings are thought to increase access to needed behavioral health care. Successful implementation of integrated care depends on primary care providers’ (PCPs’) willingness to involve behavioral health providers in their patient care, which may be dependent on how much exposure they have to integrated care approaches. The current study aims to examine the relationship between PCP years of experience within integrated care and utilization of on-site behavioral health support. It is hypothesized that more time working in integrated care will be associated with greater involvement of on-site behavioral health providers in patient care. Sixty-seven PCPs from integrated care clinics across the country (Mage = 38.4 years, 56.7% female, 56.7% white) answered questions about years of experience working in integrated primary care and about the percentage of their patient panel for whom they seek behavioral health consultation. The relationship between years of experience and behavioral health referral rates was examined using a simple linear regression. On average, participants reported 6.01 years of experience working in integrated care settings (SD = 6.15) and said they refer patients to their on-site behavioral health provider 21-30% of the time. Results indicated no significant association between years of experience in integrated care and utilization of on-site behavioral health providers (B = - 0.01, p = .936). Our sample consisted primarily of PCPs with lots of integrated care experience who involve their on-site behavioral health providers in patient care fairly often, which may explain the null relationship between years of experience and behavioral health utilization. Future research should explore this topic in a larger sample with a wider range of integrated care experience.
