The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health is investing up to $100 million to improve mental and behavioral healthcare through its Evidence-Based Validation and Innovation for Rapid Therapeutics in Behavioral Health (EVIDENT) initiative.
The initiative will focus on developing more quantitative measures of mental health by collecting and analyzing multimodal, longitudinal data — including psychological, social, digital and biological inputs — from registered clinical trials testing rapid-acting interventions such as neuroplastogens, neuromodulation and digital therapeutics, according to a Nov. 21 news release from the agency.
The agency also plans to create a centralized Rapid Response Data Repository to support future research and accelerate therapeutic innovation.
Awards will be managed as performance-based contracts rather than traditional grants. Each contract will be contingent on measurable progress toward milestones such as data quality and delivery, according to the release.
Behavioral health leaders have said clear patient outcome data can build trust with payers.
“In order for payment models to change, there needs to be greater accountability for clinical outcomes by providers,” Tammer Attallah, executive clinical director of the behavioral health clinical program at Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Health, told Becker’s.
