Loading...Loading...August 16, 2022
While telehealth existed before COVID-19, it accounted for less than 1% of outpatient visits. During the pandemic, telehealth use skyrocketed—resulting in an eight-fold increase in visits for behavioral health care from 2019 levels. Today, telehealth visits for mental health and substance use continue to rise. This increase has spurred numerous studies analyzing the efficacy of virtual care for behavioral health conditions.
In a survey conducted by the American Psychology Association, 96% of psychologists who responded said that telehealth is therapeutically effective. Accordingly, the number of clinicians using telehealth with at least some patients has grown from 33% in 2020 to 50% in 2021. Research shows that online therapy can be just as effective as in-person therapy for various mental health conditions.
A variety of resources are available to help employees identify and treat mental health and substance use disorders. Your employees may also have access to specialized apps that have been clinically validated, including Talkspace, NOCD and Charlie Health. Research from one such provider found that 50% of virtual care patients reported a decrease in depression and 57% of patients reported a decrease in anxiety. In addition, its patients missed 50% fewer work hours and productivity increased by 36%.
Several barriers may prevent an individual from seeking in-person behavioral health care. In underserved communities, individuals may have to travel lengthy distances to meet with a specialist. Securing childcare or transportation to an appointment may not be feasible, and, in some instances, a mental health condition may make it difficult to leave home. For these reasons and more, virtual therapy can be an effective alternative.
“Virtual care is often more affordable and accessible to our members compared to in-person care,” said Dr. Mike Franz, senior medical director of behavioral health at Regence. “As a society, we’re still fighting the stigma associated with receiving behavioral health care, and the more barriers we can remove from care, the better.”
Although telehealth offers many advantages, there are situations where in-person therapy is more advantageous than telehealth. Virtual care may not be the right choice for people experiencing severe or complex symptoms of mental health or substance use conditions that require urgent and direct care. Employees should sign in to their account on regence.com to see all of their in-network virtual treatment options.