Rapid Telepsychiatry Implementation During COVID-19: Increased Attendance at the Largest Health System in the United States.
Psychiatr Serv
; 72(6): 708-711, 2021 06.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1140398
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
This study aimed to examine differences in completion rates between telepsychiatry and in-person visits during the COVID-19 pandemic and a prior reference period.METHODS:
The authors used electronic medical record data along with chi-squared or t tests to compare patients' demographic characteristics. Generalized estimating equations for estimating the odds of primary and secondary outcomes were used, controlling for demographic characteristics.RESULTS:
During COVID-19, the odds of completing a telepsychiatry visit (N=26,715) were 6.68 times the odds of completing an in-person visit (N=11,094). The odds of completing a telepsychiatry visit during COVID-19 were 3.00 times the odds of completing an in-person visit during the pre-COVID-19 reference period (N=40,318).CONCLUSIONS:
In this cross-sectional study, outpatient adult mental health clinic telepsychiatry appointments, largely by telephone, were strongly associated with a higher rate of visit completion compared with in-person visits during and prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Regulators should consider permanently enabling reimbursement for telephone-only telepsychiatry visits.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Psychiatry
/
Telephone
/
Telemedicine
/
COVID-19
/
Mental Health Services
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Country/Region as subject:
North America
Language:
English
Journal:
Psychiatr Serv
Journal subject:
Psychiatry
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
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