Study shows telehealth delivery of mental health care persists<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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FRIDAY, Oct. 6, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Telehealth care for mental health spiked for pediatric patients during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to support a substantial proportion of pediatric mental health care, according to a research letter published online Oct. 3 in JAMA Network Open<\/em>.<\/p>\n Mariah M. Kalmin, Ph.D., from RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, California, and colleagues examined telehealth, in-person, and overall pediatric mental health service utilization and spending rates for children and youths (aged <19 years) from January 2019 through August 2022. Analysis included 1.9 million commercial insurance claims from Castlight Health.<\/p>\n The researchers found that in-person pediatric mental health services declined by 42 percent during the pandemic’s acute phase, while pediatric telehealth services increased 30-fold (3,027 percent), representing a 13 percent relative increase in overall utilization, compared with prepandemic. In-person services returned to 75 percent of prepandemic levels and tele-mental health utilization was 2,300 percent higher by August 2022 than prepandemic levels. During the postacute pandemic period, there was a gradual increase seen in spending rates versus prepandemic for in-person, telehealth, and total visits. Mental health service utilization increased by 21.7 percent from January 2019 to August 2022, while mental health spending rates increased by 26.1 percent. In all phases, attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety disorders, and adjustment disorder accounted for most visits and spending.<\/p>\n “As evidence increases that telehealth can effectively deliver mental health treatment for children and youths, these findings have important implications for telehealth sustainability beyond the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Kalmin said in a statement.<\/p>\n Two authors disclosed ties to Castlight Health.<\/p>\n