Telehealth use for behavioral health services has increased 45 times since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic across all care settings and provider types, according to a report by Trilliant Health.
Less than 1% of all behavioral health visits were delivered via telehealth pre-pandemic. By the second quarter last year, 32.8% of behavioral health appointments were conducted through telehealth, reports Mobi Health News.
As of Q2 2022, behavioral health volumes were 18.1% above pre-pandemic levels. However, many people live in communities with relatively few behavioral healthcare providers. The average U.S. county has 81 providers for every 100,000 residents.
Meanwhile, the report’s authors note that 50.8% of residency positions are concentrated among six states (New York, California, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts).
Private equity investments in the sector, including behavioral health virtual care and digital health platforms, have declined, totaling $2.6 billion with 289 deals in 2022. That marks a 52.9% drop in funding and a 15.8% decline in deals compared with 2021. Read more.
