The ability to receive mental health care remotely—through either video or phone—has been available since 1960. However, until recently, several barriers stymied widespread adoption of telehealth. Reimbursement policies either refused to cover telehealth visits or allowed reimbursement in only limited circumstances. Furthermore, many providers felt that telehealth offered lower quality care.
All of this changed in early 2020. Stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic that limit in-person care brought video and phone modalities to the forefront as patients and providers sought to continue care while limiting exposure. Emergency allowances for full reimbursement, whether using phone or video, now allowed providers to deliver care through either modality, and the use of video and phone to deliver mental health care reached new heights.
Access the full journal article in Current Psychiatry Reports.
