When Treatment as Usual Gives You Lemons, Count on EVBPs: Economic Arguments for Training Child Clinicians in Evidence-Based Practices

Abstract

This article is a commentary advocating for dissemination and implementation workers to incentivize the adoption of evidence-based practices (EVBPs) with youth. Treatment-as-usual in community settings yields weak effectiveness results. EVBPs for youth exist but are not widely adopted. Consequently, “lemons” or poor treatments are added to the behavioral health care marketplace. The economic concept of lemon market theory is explained and its relevance to the behavioral health care marketplace is illustrated. Several recommendations based both on economic and learning theory are offered. The article argues for the increased use of incentives as behavior modifiers for clinicians’ practices. More specifically, proper branding and fidelity, quality improvement measures, and pay for performance initiatives are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• children
• dissemination
• economics
• evidence-based practices