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ONC roundtable outlines priorities to link behavioral health care through interoperability and value-based models
Summary
Federal, state and industry leaders at an ONC convening discussed using EHRs, health information exchanges and targeted funding to close referral loops, support value-based behavioral health care, and address interoperability gaps that hinder timely treatment.
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology convened a multi‑stakeholder roundtable to discuss how health information technology can reduce barriers to behavioral health care. Mark Atalla of ONC opened the session and framed the discussion as a cross‑sector effort to ‘‘build bridges’’ that allow data to follow patients and enable coordinated, timely care.
The conversation focused on programs and funding to support interoperability and value‑based care. Nate Tatro of the CMS Innovation Center described the Innovation in Behavioral Health (IBH) model, saying the program seeks to move care ‘‘from volume to value’’ by offering infrastructure funding and by requiring participating practices to connect to state health information exchanges. Tatro said the program is also conducting health IT needs assessments in recipient states and aiming to create electronic closed‑loop referrals so community‑based organizations’ information can inform clinical decision making.
Panelists said practical investment and implementation support are needed to make these goals real. John Snyder, HRSA’s chief data officer, highlighted HRSA grants and cooperative agreements that support Health Center Controlled Networks (HCCNs), noting an August 2025 award of over $53 million to 52 HCCNs that serve more than 1,300 health centers. Snyder said these networks help centers optimize EHR workflows and reporting, but many health centers still struggle to connect to regional HIEs, registries and third‑party data sources.
Providers and vendors detailed operational examples. Colin LeClair, chief executive officer of Connections Health Solutions, described urgent psychiatric facilities that reduce readmissions by providing rapid, multidisciplinary care and stressed the need for longitudinal data to manage outcomes under value‑based contracts. Kevin Malott of Netsmart and Tim Platts of Epic emphasized that interoperability must support usable workflows, not merely raw data exchange. Anne Santifer, who runs Arkansas’s SHARE HIE, urged tailoring HIE tools to provider workflows and highlighted Encounter Notification Services as a pragmatic capability to close communication gaps.
Panelists flagged technical and regulatory barriers that persist. Participants repeatedly raised the complexity of privacy rules (including interpretations of 42 CFR Part 2), inconsistent state‑level HIE policies, and instances of information blocking or integration gaps that prevent data liquidity. Clinicians and policy advocates also emphasized the need for robust technical assistance, initial implementation funding, and outcomes measures that capture functioning and quality of life, not only symptom scores.
The roundtable closed with a call to prioritize interoperable referral loops, targeted funding for adoption and implementation, and risk‑based oversight for new AI tools. Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos, speaking for federal public health leadership, urged continued state‑federal collaboration and reminded the group that ‘‘mental health is health’’ as the meeting concluded.
