How Hospitals Are Reengineering Pediatric Behavioral Health Care

In late 2025, pediatric behavioral health remains in the national conversation — but the focus has shifted. Where much of the past few years’ coverage described rising emergency department wait times and workforce shortages, recent reporting increasingly highlights innovative hospital-based solutions that are transforming how children and families access care.

Across the nation, hospitals are moving beyond crisis response to redesign care systems, embedding behavioral health clinicians into pediatric clinics, forging partnerships with schools and community providers, and using telehealth to reach underserved populations. These approaches are driving earlier interventions, better outcomes, and more efficient use of health system capacity — offering real promise for an issue that affects millions of young people and their families and friends.

These real-world strategies are captured in the American Hospital Association’s recently released Integrating Behavioral Health into Pediatric Care: Hospital-led Solutions to a Growing Crisis report, which outlines five hospital case studies showing how systems are integrating behavioral health and pediatric care to address a growing clinical demand.

Why Integration Matters

Pediatric behavioral health needs continue to grow: Half of all individuals who will develop a mood, impulse control, or substance use disorder first show symptoms by age 14, with many indicators emerging during routine pediatric visits — a critical window for early detection and intervention.

At the same time, traditional referral models leave too many children behind. National prevalence data consistently show that a substantial share of youth with behavioral health needs go untreated, with variations across income and geographic lines.

The AHA report reframes these challenges not as intractable problems but as opportunities for systems redesign, leveraging strategic investments, partnerships, and care delivery innovations. Hospitals featured in the report are not simply responding to demand; they’re redesigning how pediatric behavioral health care is delivered.

Hospital-Led Solutions in Action

The AHA report’s case studies illustrate how integration is taking shape across different communities and health system models:

1 | Nemours Children’s Health (Multi-state)

Nemours has embedded behavioral health clinicians within both pediatric primary care and specialty clinics. By enabling real-time consultation during well-child and specialty visits, clinicians can identify concerns early and provide immediate support or referral — reducing reliance on emergency care and long wait lists for specialty services.

2 | Children’s Mercy (Kansas City, Mo.)

This system is expanding integrated care through a Partial Hospitalization Program and coordinated behavioral health hubs that connect outpatient clinics with crisis intervention resources. Early evidence from integrated behavioral health teams suggests improved access for underserved children and more seamless transitions from acute care to ongoing support.

3 | School-Linked Telehealth Networks (e.g., Texas Regional Consortia)

Collaborations with school districts are enabling behavioral health clinicians to provide care via telehealth where children spend much of their day. These networks have increased access in rural and resource-limited areas by reducing transportation and stigma barriers.

4 | Regional Care Coordination (e.g., Minnesota Health Systems)

By creating shared referral platforms and capacity tracking among hospitals and community providers, systems in Minnesota are reducing prolonged ED boarding and helping families find timely services, even when specialty capacity is scarce.

5 | Integrated Pediatric Specialty Programs

Other systems highlighted in the report pair behavioral health with pediatric subspecialty care (e.g., complex chronic conditions), ensuring that emotional and developmental concerns are addressed alongside physical health needs.

Together, these models demonstrate that integration is not one-size-fits-all — but that embedding behavioral health into existing pediatric workflows yields tangible benefits for families and systems alike.

Emerging Evidence of Impact

Early outcome data underscore the promise of integrated models. Independent research on integrated pediatric behavioral care models, such as the TEAM UP approach developed in collaboration with primary care practices, shows reductions in symptom severity among children who receive integrated services compared with usual care, alongside improved engagement and access.

These findings align with broader evidence that integrated care — especially when supported by team-based approaches, telehealth and proactive screening — improves clinical outcomes and patient experience while reducing avoidable escalation to crisis care.

Strategic Lessons for Hospital Leaders

For health system executives, the implications are clear and actionable:

• Invest in workforce and workflow redesign: Embedding behavioral health providers within pediatric settings and training multidisciplinary teams enables early identification and shared clinical responsibility.
• Leverage technology and partnerships: Telehealth, school-linked programs and shared referral platforms expand reach and reduce barriers, especially in underserved communities.
• Measure and iterate: Data on access, symptom outcomes and service utilization help systems refine integration strategies and demonstrate value to payers and policymakers.
• Improve access: Integrating physical and behavioral health across the continuum of health care settings, as well as other settings where youth engage, such as schools, can improve health outcomes.

The AHA’s report reframes integrated pediatric behavioral health not as a niche pilot but as a core strategic priority for hospitals and health systems. By shifting care upstream, aligning clinical and community resources and investing in sustainable delivery models, hospitals are creating care pathways that meet children and families where they are and help them thrive over the long term.

Download the Report »