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Telemental health increases 45% in rural US
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In the last decade, use of telemedicine for mental health care increased by 45% among Medicare beneficiaries living in rural areas of the U.S.
“Our results highlight the growing importance of telemedicine in the treatment of mental health disorders in rural settings where access to mental health care is often problematic,” Ateev Mehrotra, MD, MPH, of Harvard Medical School, said in a press release.
To assess trends in use of telemedicine for mental health care in the U.S., researchers analyzed Medicare fee-for-service claims from 2004 to 2014 for rural beneficiaries diagnosed with any mental illness or serious mental illness.
On average, telemental health visits increased 45.1% each year.
By 2014, there were 5.3 and 11.8 telemental health visits per 100 rural beneficiaries with mental illness or serious mental illness, respectively.
Researchers noted considerable variation in telemental health use among states. In 2014, nine states had more than 25 telemental health visits per 100 beneficiaries with serious mental illness, while four states and Washington, D.C. had none.
Beneficiaries who received a telemental health visit were more likely to be aged younger than 65 years, eligible for Medicare due to disability, and live in a relatively poor community, compared with other beneficiaries with mental illness.
Telemental health use was significantly higher in states with a telemedicine parity law and pro-telemental health regulatory environment, compared with states that did not.
“This work provides us with crucial information as we move forward to understand whether the rapid rise in mental telehealth actually translates into better patient outcomes,” study researcher Sherri Rose, PhD, of Harvard Medical School, said in the release. – by Amanda Oldt
Disclosure: Please see the study for a full list of relevant financial disclosures.