Patient engagement and connection to care in a telehealth behavioral health crisis care program: an implementation evaluation

To address service gaps in behavioral health crisis programs, this study evaluated patient engagement with a telehealth behavioral health crisis care program designed to stabilize patients experiencing acute mental health crises. It explored patient-level factors associated with program participation and with establishing a connection to follow-up behavioral health care. A retrospective analysis of 243 patients from a behavioral health crisis program serving adults in the Northeast United States was conducted. Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with patient engagement and connection to follow-up care. Over 70% of patients who attended at least one visit established a connection to follow-up care after participating in the program. After adjusting for patient characteristics, program participation, measured by the total number of visits attended, was positively associated with establishing a care connection, while having a prior history of violence against others was negatively associated with the establishment of a care connection. This study demonstrated that a fully telehealth behavioral health crisis care program was effective in maintaining patient engagement and establishing a connection to follow-up care for the majority of participants. Not applicable.