Why access and outcomes must evolve together in mental health care
Mental health care in the United States is at a critical moment. Nearly one in four adults experiences a mental health condition each year, yet many still struggle to access care when they need it. As demand for behavioral health services continues to rise, the focus is shifting—from whether access exists to how the care is being delivered and whether or not it leads to meaningful improvement.
“Access isn’t just an operational concern,” says Dr. Taft Parsons III, Chief Psychiatric Officer at CVS Health. “It’s a clinical determinant of outcomes. It leads to delays in care, symptom escalation, higher acuity and greater risk of crisis.”
Why timely access is a clinical quality
Across the behavioral health system, access to care remains uneven, especially for some of the most at risk and underrepresented communities. And while workforce shortages continue to present a gap between current capacity what’s needed to serve the community, it has gotten better. However, the workforce is dynamic, and access on paper or in a directory can fluctuate rapidly and can feel very different to patients in reality. “It’s critical to maintain a large network of providers, and we must also consider how patients are navigating to those providers, and the different needs they have,” said Dr. Parsons. “These needs include not only their clinical presentation, but also their ability to get to care – whether it’s access to transportation, or other unmet social needs.”
Access alone isn’t enough
While timely access is critical, it is only part of the equation. Historically, mental health care has lagged other areas of medicine in how quality and effectiveness are measured. Claims data can show that care was used, but it offers limited insight into whether symptoms are improving or treatment is actually helping. Overall mental health care has lagged with fragmented documentation and uneven or limited EHR adoption, which has stalled progress towards better measurement. Evaluating quality in behavioral health requires going beyond visit counts to understand outcomes and meaningful change over time.
“We need to continue to use the clinically grounded tools we do have available such as the PHQ‑9 and GAD‑7, which track changes in depression and anxiety symptoms before and after treatment, while also keeping any eye on how evolving technology and data can help us better understand how treatment is impacting our patients,” Dr. Parsons said. An outcomes‑based view that includes, but goes beyond, claims data helps clinicians and health systems better understand effectiveness across populations and continuously improve the quality of care delivered.
Why pre and post measurement matters
- Tracks symptom change—not just engagement
- Supports measurement-based care
- Enables population-level quality improvement
- Integrating access and outcomes
When timely access to care is paired with outcomes‑based measurement, behavioral health systems become more accountable and responsive. Patients connect to care sooner and gain clearer paths to improvement. Clinicians receive feedback that supports continuous quality improvement. And the overall system benefits from more clarity, better allocation of resources and improved long-term outcomes.
“When patients can access care quickly—and when we measure whether that care works—we move closer to a behavioral health system that delivers on its promise for everyone,” said Dr. Parsons.
