Study Objective
While positive outcomes of virtual care are well supported, and while its merits are significant, gaps in literature exist when considering efficacy of virtually delivered FBT. The aim of this case study is to examine the treatment of two patients with eating disorders using an augmented virtual FBT approach provided by Equip Behavioral Health.  We enrolled 2 families in a beta trial from April to May 2020, providing 4 weeks of no-cost treatment. The conventional treatment team consisting of a family therapist and registered dietitian was enhanced by the addition of a ‘lived experience’ arm consisting of a peer mentor and family mentor.  The care team held individual sessions weekly (at minimum, with additional sessions available upon request) with parents, patient or both, via Equip’s HIPAA compliant telehealth platform.  For these trial cases, medical care was provided locally for participants outside of the Equip system.  We tracked outcomes and solicited feedback via a combination of surveys and assessments, typically at both baseline and discharge. The primary outcome of this study was weight change in participants with the expectation that each patient gain an average of one pound per week during the 4 weeks of treatment.  Secondary outcomes are changes in GAD-7, PHQ-9, and EDE-QS scores over time, with the expectation that scores on these scales would decrease during the 4 weeks of treatment.  In addition to these clinical measures, we aimed to evaluate comfort level with the technological aspects of the telehealth platform.
Methods: