JAMA Health Forum: Telehealth and In-Person Mental Health Service Utilization and Spending, 2019 to 2022

JAMA Health Forum: Telehealth and In-Person Mental Health Service Utilization and Spending, 2019 to 2022

Trends in mental health service utilization and spending before expiration of the public health emergency (PHE) in May 2023 are largely undocumented. Researchers assessed monthly telehealth vs in-person utilization and spending rates for mental health services among commercially insured US adults between 2019 and 2022. The study found that utilization and spending rates for mental health care services among commercially insured adults increased by 38.8 percent and 53.7 percent, respectively, between 2019 and 2022. These findings suggest that telehealth utilization for mental health services remains persistent and elevated. See RAND Corporation press release here. For additional coverage, see The New York Times, Healthcare Dive, Behavioral Health Business, Axios, and mHealth Intelligence.