Rehab.ai-funded research · Recruiting researchers and treatment centers

More resources for care.
Better outcomes for people.

Behavioral Health Advertising & Care Study

Rehab.ai is funding a study to measure advertising costs across addiction treatment and mental health care, and determine how more of those resources can support providers, lower costs for patients and families, and fund treatment directly.

Apply or participate Read the announcement

Building a better mental health system

Every dollar spent reaching someone should be examined against what it could do to help them.

A better system makes it easier for people to find care and for providers to deliver it. We are putting resources behind that goal: trace the spending, measure what it delivers, and identify where a different approach can do more for the people seeking help.

Our mission brings together data, technology, and human connection. This study extends it from how people discover treatment to how the resources behind that discovery are used.

By the numbers

The stakes are measurable.

$558.8M

Advertising and marketing

BetterHelp’s 2024 segment expense, excluding stock-based compensation, as reported by Teladoc Health. This includes more than media purchases. [1]

29.5M

Adults without treatment

U.S. adults with a past-year mental illness who received no mental health treatment in 2024, according to SAMHSA. [2]

65.2%

Cost was a concern

Among U.S. adults with past-year mental illness, no treatment, and a perceived unmet need in 2024, this share said treatment would cost too much. [2]

The spending figure describes one business segment, not the industry. The survey figures describe U.S. adults. These are context for the study, not evidence that advertising caused the treatment gap or that all marketing spending can be redirected.

Follow the dollars.

The research team will define the study population and geography before collecting data. Initial questions include:

What do providers spend on paid search, social advertising, directories, agencies, and lead generation? Separate advertising spend from other marketing and operating costs.
How much reaches media platforms or intermediaries, and what is the cost per inquiry, admission, and person who remains in care?
Who ultimately bears these costs: providers, patients, families, or payers? Test this rather than assuming every advertising dollar is passed on.
What portion could realistically be saved or redirected after accounting for the cost of alternative ways to reach patients?

Model what could change.

Compare current spending with clearly labeled scenarios: reinvestment in provider staffing and capacity, lower patient and family costs, and direct treatment assistance.

Access: additional treatment starts, available appointments, and time to care.
Affordability: out-of-pocket costs, treatment assistance, and financial barriers to starting or continuing care.
Capacity: clinical hours, staffing, and use of existing services.
Outcomes: retention, completion, patient-reported wellbeing, and follow-up outcomes where suitable data are available.

More funding does not automatically produce better outcomes. Models must account for reimbursement, workforce constraints, demand, care quality, and any loss of access from reduced advertising. Modeled possibilities will be kept separate from measured results.

Who we’re looking to hire

A research lead who follows the evidence.

We’re hiring a research lead: a health economist, health services researcher, or applied quantitative researcher with experience studying healthcare costs, access, or outcomes.

Design a credible protocol, sampling plan, and analysis.
Work with provider financial data and understand patient acquisition economics.
Build transparent cost and outcome models, quantify uncertainty, and avoid causal claims the data cannot support.
Explain findings clearly to patients, providers, and policymakers.

We also welcome interest from research analysts, statisticians, behavioral health clinicians, and provider finance or operations specialists. Individuals and research teams may apply.

Rehab.ai is funding this research. We will agree the budget, compensation, engagement structure, timeline, and final scope with the selected team.

Treatment centers are welcome

Help ground the study in real care.

Addiction treatment centers and mental health providers are invited to join as prospective research participants. Independent centers, nonprofit providers, public programs, and multi-site organizations are welcome, including those with little or no advertising spending.

Centers may help shape practical questions and, under an agreed protocol, contribute aggregate information about advertising costs, patient acquisition, capacity, affordability, and outcomes. An introductory conversation does not commit you to sharing data.

Participation does not buy visibility, affect directory placement, or imply an endorsement. Patient-level data are not requested through this form.

Open methods. Honest findings.

Rehab.ai is funding the work and operates a directory with no advertising. That perspective makes transparent methods and independent research judgment essential. The research plan will address conflicts of interest, appropriate ethics review, consent, and data protection before collection begins.

We will publish the methods, limitations, and findings, including results that challenge our premise. Confidential provider records will not be published as open data; any public release of data will follow the agreed permissions and safeguards.

The planned output is a public report with an advertising-cost analysis, transparent reallocation scenarios, uncertainty ranges, and recommendations grounded in the evidence. Recruitment is open; findings will follow the research.

Join the study.

Apply to lead the research or register your treatment center’s interest. Our team will follow up to discuss fit, scope, and next steps.

I’m interested in (required) Research role Treatment center participation

Full name (required)

Email (required)

Professional profile, research, or treatment center website (optional) Your background or organization (required)

Researchers: share your methods, relevant work, and role of interest. Treatment centers: include your organization, location, services, and your role.

Why would you like to participate? (required)

Help us understand your perspective.What should this study measure? (required)How could you contribute? (required)

This form is for introductions only. Do not submit patient information, advertising account credentials, financial records, or confidential datasets. Participation and any data sharing will be agreed separately.

An automatic confirmation, followed by human review. Registering interest does not enroll a center in the study or create a research appointment.

Sources and perspective

Teladoc Health 2024 Annual Report, BetterHelp segment results, pp. 67–68. Historical 2024 benchmark; advertising and marketing expense excludes stock-based compensation.
SAMHSA, Results from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, pp. 52–53, published July 2025. National survey estimates, not counts of people denied care. Cost is a self-reported reason among adults with perceived unmet need who received no treatment.
World Health Organization, Mental health at work. The US$1 trillion estimate concerns annual global productivity losses from depression and anxiety, not treatment spending or recoverable advertising dollars.
Patrick Nagle, Building a Better Mental Health System, updated September 6, 2026. Founder perspective, not a research finding.

Sources reviewed September 23, 2026. Read About Rehab.ai and our general announcement.

More resources for care.Better outcomes for people.