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Enrolling by invitation

NCT Number: NCT07790107

Behavioral Health Initial Intake Outreach

The goal of this study is to help patients get seen sooner for behavioral health appointments by informing them about group therapy options, which allow more patients to be seen at once, often more quickly than 1:1 therapy. We will test whether messages describing the benefits of group therapy might encourage more patients to sign up for group therapy, thereby shortening patients' time to beginning therapy.

Enrolling by invitation

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Key information

Conditions

Behavioral Health

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Geisinger Clinic

Danville, Pennsylvania, 17822, United States

About this study

Before beginning any therapy, patients must complete an intake appointment, involving initial assessments and a determination of whether 1:1 or group therapy is appropriate for the patient. However, many patients are unaware that a group therapy recommendation (vs. 1:1 therapy) is a potential outcome of the intake appointment, and/or are unaware of the benefits of group therapy.

We will test whether messages informing patients about the benefits of group therapy sent ahead of the routine intake calls can increase the uptake of group therapy, helping patients get care sooner. Patients will be randomized to the message group or the no-message control group (i.e., current standard of care).

Patients in the message group will be sent messages soon after their intake appointment is scheduled. The messages will describe the goal of the visit ("Your upcoming visit is a one-time appointment to plan what's next for your care.") and emphasize the benefits of group therapy (e.g., "Groups usually start sooner than individual sessions and offer plenty of days and times to fit your schedule."), with a link to a flyer with more group-therapy details. The same information will be added to the patient instructions for the visit for those in the message group.

Messages will be sent via the MyChart patient portal for those with an existing MyChart account. Those who do not have MyChart but can be sent a text message will get a text message with a link to activate their MyChart account to view the patient instructions.

Patients will be enrolled for one year, with about 6200 expected in this time frame.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Patient is age 18 years or older
  • Patient is referred for outpatient behavioral health psychotherapy services at Geisinger
  • Patient has a scheduled behavioral health intake appointment
  • Patient is eligible to receive pre-appointment messages through MyChart and/or SMS

Treatment and study plan

Pre-intake appointment informational messages

Behavioral

Informational messages delivered through MyChart or text message before a scheduled behavioral health intake call. The MyChart messages explain that the intake call is a one-time appointment to determine the most appropriate treatment plan, describe potential benefits of group psychotherapy, and provide a link to additional educational information about group therapy. Patient instructions with the same information added to the appointment within MyChart. Patients who do not have MyChart but can be sent text messages will get brief text messages with a link to MyChart to view patient instructions with information about group therapy.

Primary outcomes

  1. Time to first psychotherapy appointment

    Time frame: Within 6 months after the intervention message is sent (or the corresponding index date for patients assigned to usual care)

    Time from the date the intervention message is sent (or the corresponding index date for patients assigned to usual care) to the patient's first completed psychotherapy appointment, whether group or 1:1

Other outcomes

  1. Time to first group psychotherapy appointment

    Time frame: Within 6 months after the intervention message is sent (or the corresponding index date for patients assigned to usual care)

    Time from the date the intervention message is sent (or the corresponding index date for patients assigned to usual care) to the patient's first completed group psychotherapy appointment

  2. Time to first 1:1 psychotherapy appointment

    Time frame: Within 6 months after the intervention message is sent (or the corresponding index date for patients assigned to usual care)

    Time from the date the intervention message is sent (or the corresponding index date for patients assigned to usual care) to the patient's first completed 1:1 psychotherapy appointment

  3. Completion of psychotherapy appointment (y/n)

    Time frame: Within 6 months after the intervention message is sent (or the corresponding index date for patients assigned to usual care)

    Completion of a psychotherapy appointment, either group or 1:1

  4. Completion of group psychotherapy appointment (y/n)

    Time frame: Within 6 months after the intervention message is sent (or the corresponding index date for patients assigned to usual care)

    Completion of a group psychotherapy appointment

  5. Completion of 1:1 psychotherapy appointment (y/n)

    Time frame: Within 6 months after the intervention message is sent (or the corresponding index date for patients assigned to usual care)

    Completion of a 1:1 psychotherapy appointment

  6. Behavioral health intake appointment completion (y/n)

    Time frame: Within 6 months after the intervention message is sent (or the corresponding index date for patients assigned to usual care)

    Completion of a behavioral health intake appointment

  7. Time to first behavioral health intake appointment completion

    Time frame: Within 6 months after the intervention message is sent (or the corresponding index date for patients assigned to usual care)

    Time from the date the intervention message is sent (or the corresponding index date for patients assigned to usual care) to the patient's first completed behavioral health intake

  8. Number of group therapy sessions attended

    Time frame: Within 1 year after the intervention message is sent (or the corresponding index date for patients assigned to usual care)

    Count of group therapy sessions attended

  9. Behavioral health-related emergency department (ED) visits (y/n)

    Time frame: Within 1 year after the intervention message is sent (or the corresponding index date for patients assigned to usual care)

    Had at least one behavioral health-related ED visit

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Geisinger Clinic

Other

Registry information

Official study title

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Patient Messages Before Behavioral Health Intake Calls to Increase Group Psychotherapy Uptake

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2028
First posted
Aug 27, 2026
Registry last updated
Aug 31, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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