More than eight in ten (81 percent) behavioral health providers began using telehealth for the first time in the last six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and 70 percent of respondents reported they plan to continue offering telehealth services post-pandemic, according to a new survey.
The research comes from Tridiuum, a provider of digital behavioral health solutions, that recently released the results of a new survey about the current and future state of telemental healthcare delivery. Seven in ten behavioral health providers also reported that that they intend to leverage video visits for at least 50 percent of their patients moving forward. The survey is based on 438 mostly first-time telehealth users.
According to the researchers, “The findings are significant because behavioral health providers have historically cited concerns that virtual therapy could not be as effective as in-person visits – despite the volume of literature that has proven those fears are unwarranted. As a result, behavioral health providers lagged even further behind primary care and other physical health providers in adoption of telehealth prior to the pandemic,” they noted. As such, the survey confirms that behavioral healthcare delivered via video-conferencing is comparable or even better on multiple quality indicators, officials stated.
Other key survey findings include:
- Clinical effectiveness: 81 percent of respondents said their clinical interventions via video sessions were equally effective or more effective at improving patients’ conditions as in-person visits, with 38 percent specifying that video enhanced their ability to help patients.
- Therapeutic alliances: 81 percent of respondents reported that video conferencing had the same or a positive impact on how they connected and engaged with patients, with 36 percent sharing that they recognized improvements in patient relationships through video visits.
- Patient disclosures: 83 percent of respondents said video-conferencing had no impact or a positive impact on the level of information patients shared about their personal lives, conditions, or symptoms. Thirty-nine percent of respondents felt that patients disclosed even more information during video visits – possibly because they felt more comfortable within their homes, rather than in a traditional office setting.
- Clinical workflow: 85 percent of respondents reported that video-conferencing had no impact or a positive impact on their clinical workflows, referring to the time and effort required to deliver care. Forty-six percent reported that their clinical workflows were positively impacted by the shift to virtual care.
“These survey results are yet another data point to illustrate that telemental healthcare is not less effective than in-person care. In fact, it can even improve clinical care, while offering providers and patients the options they need, want, and deserve,” Mark Redlus, CEO for Tridiuum, said in a statement. “As the industry continues to shift toward virtual care, we’re proud to partner with so many independent and group behavioral providers to support their telemental health efforts, improve outcomes, and to do our part to make a difference in patients’ lives.”
In a recent report from Accenture, the firm’s researchers concluded that the use of virtual delivery channels could expand treatment to 53 million Americans suffering from behavioral health issues. The Accenture researchers pointed out that current data indicates that nearly 58 million adults and 8 million youth between the ages of six and 17 in the U.S. have mental health and/or substance use disorders, yet only 43 percent of affected adults are receiving treatment for them. Four in five respondents (81 percent) of the Accenture survey said they would either definitely or probably engage in a virtual channel to manage their behavioral health condition. As such, applying this finding to the 66 million adults and youths impacted by these disorders suggests that virtual channels could expand care to approximately 53 million people, the researchers concluded.
