Behavioral HealthNCT07790107
Behavioral Health Initial Intake Outreach
A study testing Pre-intake appointment informational messages in people with Behavioral Health, run by Geisinger Clinic at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
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. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Behavioral Health
- What is being tested?
- Pre-intake appointment informational messages
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 6,200 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 20 Aug 2026to Mar 2028
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- 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
Who cannot join
None listed.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
About this study
Official title: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Patient Messages Before Behavioral Health Intake Calls to Increase Group Psychotherapy Uptake
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.
Read the detailed description
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.
- Conditions
- Behavioral Health
- Being tested
- Pre-intake appointment informational messages
- Keywords
- psychotherapy, patient education, randomized controlled trial, access to care, patient messaging, nudges
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Pre-intake appointment informational messagesBehavioural
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.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Usual Care | No intervention | Patients will receive usual care and will not receive the pre-intake call informational messages. Usual care includes the standard scheduling and communication processes for behavioral health intake appointments. |
| Pre-Intake Appointment Messages | Experimental | Patients will receive informational messages delivered through MyChart or text message before their scheduled behavioral health intake appointment. Patient instructions will also be modified. Receives: Behavioral: Pre-intake appointment informational messages |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Time to first psychotherapy appointment
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
Measured: Within 6 months after the intervention message is sent (or the corresponding index date for patients assigned to usual care)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted27 Aug 2026
- Study start20 Aug 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completionMar 2028 (estimated)
- Study completionMar 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Behavioral HealthStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 6,200 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Geisinger Clinic
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Gail Rosenbaum, Geisinger Clinic
- Investigators
- Gail Rosenbaum, PhD, Principal investigator, Geisinger Clinic
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07790107
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2026-0674
- Status last verified
- Aug 2026
- First submitted
- 24 Aug 2026
- Last updated
- 31 Aug 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 31 Aug 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- A Randomized Controlled Trial of Patient Messages Before Behavioral Health Intake Calls to Increase Group Psychotherapy Uptake
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07790107
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2026-0674
- Conditions
- Behavioral Health
- Keywords
- psychotherapy, patient education, randomized controlled trial, access to care, patient messaging, nudges
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Enrolling by invitation
- Enrolment
- 6,200 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Geisinger ClinicUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 20 Aug 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- Mar 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Mar 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 27 Aug 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
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.
Detailed description
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.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Usual Care | No intervention | –Patients will receive usual care and will not receive the pre-intake call informational messages. Usual care includes the standard scheduling and communication processes for behavioral health intake appointments. |
| Pre-Intake Appointment Messages | Experimental | Behavioral: Pre-intake appointment informational messagesPatients will receive informational messages delivered through MyChart or text message before their scheduled behavioral health intake appointment. Patient instructions will also be modified. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- 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
Key exclusion criteria (0 listed)
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-intake appointment informational messagesInformational 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. | Behavioural | Pre-Intake Appointment Messages |
Primary outcome
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
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 31 Aug 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
Related trials for Behavioral Health
Recruiting
Understanding the Neural Underpinnings of Risk-Taking Behavior in Psychiatric Disease
Depression - Major Depressive Disorder
RecruitingPhase 4
Evaluating a Dropless Postoperative Regimen After Cataract Surgery in a Vulnerable, County-hospital Population
Cataract, Surgery
Active, not recruiting
AI-Assisted Child Health Podcast Education for Nursing Students
Nursing Education
Active, not recruiting
Effect of the Thrive AI Health App on Lifestyle Behaviors and Quality of Life
Diabetes Type 2, Overweight or Obesity
Active, not recruiting
A Mobile App to Improve 24-Hour Movement Guideline Adherence in Preschoolers
Healthy, 24-Hour Movement Guidelines
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Gail Rosenbaum, PhD principal investigator
Geisinger Clinic
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Pre-intake appointment informational messages in people with Behavioral Health, run by Geisinger Clinic at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 0 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: enrolling by invitation, as of the sponsor's last update on 31 Aug 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
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)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 31 Aug 2026.