Outcome Referrals Hosts National Convening on Patient-Matching Research Study Mental Health Outcomes, Adoption Strategies

BOSTON and CHICAGO – February 26, 2026 – In collaboration with the Midwest Business Group on Health, Outcome Referrals, Inc. will bring together employers, payers, clinicians, and patient advocates on March 12 for an event focused on improving mental health care and outcomes.

Attendees will learn about a patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) study that found individuals paired with therapists through a model that matched patients with therapists – based on how well a therapist has treated individuals with the same concerns in the past – had greater reductions in their primary mental health symptoms, less overall distress by the end of treatment and more consistent treatment results than those paired without using the matching model.

This convening to share results is part of a project the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) has funded to disseminate study findings and help expand the use of the model to mental health clinics and primary care organizations and also build awareness and engagement with stakeholders including employers, business coalitions, and patient advocacy organizations. PCORI also funded the CER study, which was led by a team at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

“Employers, health plans, and providers all want the same thing: to help people get better faster,” said David Kraus, PhD, Founder and Chief Science Officer for Outcome Referrals. “The uptake of research findings shows that when referrals are guided by outcomes—not guesswork—we can dramatically improve sustained recovery by using real-world results to inform care before treatment begins. Matching people to clinicians based on proven outcomes can transform access, quality, and experience—especially for populations historically underserved by behavioral healthcare. We’re convening key stakeholders around a shared responsibility to understand what this evidence means and how it translates into everyday practice to connect more people to the correct care to help them recover.”

This event will bring together a diverse, multi-stakeholder community committed to advancing behavioral health across workplaces, care delivery, and health systems.

In addition to sharing findings from the PCORI-funded CER study, the event will also include stakeholder-specific sessions:

• Employer-Driven Transformation

Barriers and opportunities to applying PCORI-funded research evidence in benefit design, employee assistance plans, and contracting; future employer-focused research needs

• Provider/Patient-Driven Transformation

Incentivizing quality, workflow integration, adoption, patient experience; future research priorities

• Industry-Led Transformation

Perspectives from payers, coalitions, and policymakers on scaling evidence-based behavioral health; future research and evidence needs

Findings from the PCORI-funded CER study were published in JAMA Psychiatry. The science of the match algorithm, now called TOP Match, has since been integrated into a National Institutes of Health funded referral platform called Express Access.

About Outcome Referrals, Inc.

Outcome Referrals, Inc. is focused on improving access, quality, and equity in behavioral healthcare through science‑based referral and outcomes measurement. Its Express Access™ platform uses AI and the Treatment Outcome Package (TOP) to scientifically match patients to behavioral health providers who have demonstrated success treating individuals with similar needs. Proven in federally funded research and published in leading peer‑reviewed journals, Outcome Referrals’ mission is to make behavioral healthcare work for everyone by making outcomes transparent, measurable, and actionable. Learn more: outcomereferrals.com.

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Media Contact:

Cary Conway

cary@conwaycommunication.com