Telemental Health Background: Changes & Trends

• Telemental health visits increased by 556% between March 11 and April 22, 2020.
• Telehealth benefits noted during the pandemic include “expanding access to care, reducing disease exposure for staff and patients, preserving scarce supplies of personal protective equipment, and reducing patient demand on facilities.”
• Federal and state legislation and regulation changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic:
  • 3/2020: The House and Sente passed legislation that eased regulations regarding patient location for medicare telehealth encounters and asked that state Medicaid agencies to adopt similar policy. Previously, telehealth services could only occur at designated locations using synchronous video technology. This bill approved at-home services with use of a telephone. It also allocated $500 million to expand Medicare telehealth coverage via and emergency waiver.
  • HHS OCR stated it would waive penalties for HIPAA violations for providers who serve patients “in good faith” using technology platforms such as FaceTime or Skype, during the public health emergency.
  • The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) deferred the federal Ryan Haight Act to provide greater access to medication-assisted treatment.
  • Numerous states have loosened telemental health restrictions and increased access to telemental health access and provider reimbursement.
  • By 7/2021 all 50 states and DC had approved Section 1135 waivers allowing increased flexibility for certain Medicaid and CHIP requirements.
• Several models now exist for using a hybrid in-person and telehealth approach to delivering MAT, due to these temporary changes which may or may not become permanent.
• The Telemental Health market is expected to grow 40.5% each year from 2020 to 2027, with primary market drivers being the prevalence of mental health disorders across the lifespan, its facilitation of time-efficient and low-cost delivery of services, and a growing acceptance of telemental health.