Study What You Do: Developing a Psychotherapy Tracking Database in a Large-Scale Integrated Behavioral Health Service

Abstract

PURPOSE Many individuals with behavioral health challenges receive services in primary care, and integrated behavioral health (IBH) programs can help increase access to evidencebased interventions. IBH programs can benefit substantially from integrating standardized tracking databases that allow for the implementation of measurement-based care to evaluate patient-, clinician-, and practice-level outcomes. We describe the development and integration of Mayo Clinic's pediatric and adult primary care psychotherapy tracking database.METHODS IBH practice leaders directed the development of a large psychotherapy tracking database that continuously populates from Mayo Clinic's electronic health record system. The database captures numerous patient variables including demographics, behavioral health and substance use issues, psychotherapy principles used, and self-reported symptoms. We retrieved current data for patients empaneled in Mayo Clinic's pediatric and adult primary care psychotherapy programs from June 2014 to June 2022. RESULTSThe tracking database contained data for 16,923 adult patients and 6,298 pediatric patients. The mean age of adult patients was 43.2 years (SD 18.3), 88.1% were non-Latine White, and 66.7% identified as female. The mean age of pediatric patients was 11.6 years (SD 4.2), 82.5% were non-Latine White, and 56.9% identified as female. We provide examples of practical applications of the database across clinical, educational, research, and administrative domains. CONCLUSIONSThe development and integration of a psychotherapy tracking database supports clinician communication, examination of patient outcomes, practice quality improvement efforts, and clinically relevant research. Our description of Mayo Clinic's IBH database may serve as a model for other IBH practices.

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“…These data, resources, and strategies provide the opportunity to improve health outcomes among underserved and marginalized groups. For example, Roche and colleagues 23 describe the integration and implementation of a psychotherapy tracking database for pediatric and adult primary care patients to examine outcomes at the patient, clinician, and practice levels. The integrated tracking database, drawn from electronic health records, can be a model for examining patient outcomes, improving communication between patients and their clinicians, and conducting practice-based research, among other endeavors.…”