Fidelity Health Recommends Outcomes-Based Provider Matching and Highlights TOP Match™

In its July 2026 report, The Next Frontier in Workplace Mental Health: Why Employers Can’t Ignore Substance Use Challenges in the Workforce, Fidelity Health calls on employers to ensure that mental health networks include clinicians with demonstrated experience and outcomes treating each employee’s specific needs—not merely licensed providers with general mental health experience.

Fidelity recommends that employers “take a more active role in understanding provider quality and leveraging outcomes-based referral tools.” It identifies TOP Match™, developed by Outcome Referrals, as an example of how clinical needs, patient preferences, and providers’ historical outcomes can be used to improve the fit between a patient and clinician.

Fidelity explains why this matters: therapist effectiveness varies substantially across problem areas. The report cites research finding that 16% of therapists showed limited improvement or setbacks when treating patients with substance-use problems. A clinician who performs well in one area may not be the right choice for another.

This is the central problem TOP Match was created to solve: replacing blind referrals with scientific, outcomes-based information that helps patients choose care suited to their individual needs.

Read the full Fidelity Health reportdr quality and leveraging outcomes-based referr