Telehealth and In-Person Mental Health Service Utilization and Spending, 2019 to 2022

Jonathan H. Cantor, Ryan K. McBain, Pen-Che Ho, Dena M. Bravata, Christopher M. Whaley

ResearchPosted on rand.org Aug 28, 2023Published in: JAMA Health Forum, 2023;4(8):e232645. doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2023.2645

Telehealth service utilization expanded rapidly at the COVID-19 pandemic outset, particularly for mental health conditions. Unlike physical health conditions that may require physical examinations or laboratory testing, many mental health services can be provided virtually. Three years after the 2020 SARS-CoV-2 national public health emergency (PHE) declaration, many facets of the US health care system have returned to normal. However, trends in mental health service utilization and spending before expiration of the PHE in May 2023 are largely undocumented. Therefore, we assessed monthly telehealth vs in-person utilization and spending rates for mental health services among commercially insured US adults between 2019 and 2022.

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Document Details

  • Copyright: Jonathan H. Cantor, Ryan K. McBain, Pen-Che Ho, Dena M. Bravata, Christopher Whaley
  • Publisher: American Medical Associatio
  • Availability: Non-RAND
  • Year: 2023
  • Pages: 6
  • Document Number: EP-70222

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