Comparison of Visit Rates Before vs After Telehealth Expansion Among Patients with Mental Health Diagnoses Treated at Federally Qualified Health Centers

JAMA Network Open: Comparison of Visit Rates Before vs After Telehealth Expansion Among Patients with Mental Health Diagnoses Treated at Federally Qualified Health Centers

According to this research letter, high telehealth availability at federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) was associated with better care engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic for patients enrolled in Medicaid who had mental health diagnoses. The study assessed whether FQHC-level telehealth availability was associated with visit rates for 11,267 patients with mental health diagnoses (e.g., depression, anxiety, bipolar disorders) enrolled in Medicaid. This study suggests that care delivery models that support telehealth as part of mental health care may be associated with improved engagement for patients enrolled in Medicaid.