Medical Economics August 10, 2022
Loosened restrictions during pandemic have eased access barriers, report finds
Outpatient telehealth visits for behavioral health issues saw a massive increase during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, largely due to eased restrictions on its use, a new report shows.
Insurance company UnitedHealth Group used data from its subsidiary Optum Behavioral Health to measure trends in in-network, outpatient behavioral health visits from 2019—the year before the pandemic– through the second quarter of 2021. It found a 5,700% increase in telehealth visits during the period, more than offsetting a 55% decrease in office-based visits. The total number of visits grew by 26% during the period.
The biggest jump in telehealth visits as a percentage of all visits occurred between the end...
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