The Rising Use of Telehealth for the Delivery of Outpatient Mental Health Services

The following is a guest article by Michael Levinson, M.D., J.D., Partner at Berger Singerman LLP Telehealth has revolutionized the delivery of outpatient mental health services, and there has been exponential growth in the acceptance and delivery of remote care. No longer does a patient have to be sitting on a therapist’s couch to receive care. The sofa at home will work just fine. This was fostered in a large part by changes implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic. Prior to 2020, less than one percent (1%) of outpatient health care was delivered virtually. A national public opinion poll of U.S. adults by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) conducted in 2021 found that a large percentage of the population have used telehealth services; with more than half saying were willing to use telehealth for mental health services. Most survey respondents used telehealth through a video format (69%), while 38% used phone calls only. At the peak of the pandemic, eleven percent (11%) of all care and forty percent (40%) of mental health and substance use outpatient visits were virtual. While in-person visits for much of medicine have returned to earlier levels, the use of telehealth for outpatient mental health care has remained strong, by some measures continuing to represent thirty-six percent (36%) of such encounters. The dramatic growth of telehealth has been a boon to both providers and patients, granting access to care previously limited by geographical and time constraints...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - Category: Information Technology Authors: Tags: Ambulatory C-Suite Leadership Health IT Company Healthcare IT Hospital - Health System Regulations Telemedicine and Remote Monitoring American Psychiatric Association APA Berger Singerman LLP Digital Therapy IMLC Interstate Medical Source Type: blogs