Comparison of Telehealth and In-Person Behavioral Health Services and Payment in a Large Rural Multisite Usual Care Study.

Background: Telehealth and in-person behavioral health services have previously shown equal effectiveness, but cost studies have largely been limited to travel savings for telehealth cohorts. The purpose of this analysis was to compare telehealth and in-person cohorts, who received behavioral health services in a large multisite study of usual care treatment approaches to examine relative value units (RVUs) and payment. Methods: We used current procedural terminology codes for each encounter to identify RVUs and Medicare payment rates. Mixed linear regression models compared telehealth and in-person cohorts on RVUs, per-encounter payment rates, and total-episode payment rates. Results: We found the behavioral health services provided by telehealth to have modest, but statistically significantly lower RVUs (i.e., less provider work in time spent and case complexity), per-encounter payments, and total episode payments than the in-person cohort. Despite Medicare rates discounting payments for nonphysician providers and the in-person cohort using clinical social workers more frequently, the services provided by the telehealth cohort still had lower payments. Thus, the differences observed are due to the in-person cohort receiving higher payment RVU services than the telehealth cohort, which was more likely to receive briefer therapy sessions and other less expensive services. Conclusions: Behavioral health services provided by telehealth used services with lower RVUs than behavioral health services provided in-person, on average, even after adjusting for patient demographics and diagnosis. Observed differences in Medicare payments resulted from the provider type and services used by the two cohorts; thus, costs and insurance reimbursements may vary for others.

An Innovative Approach to Care: Integrating Mental Health Services Through Telemedicine in Rural School-Based Health Centers.

In rural communities, primary care providers continue to provide mental health services, and about 70% of children and adolescents identified to have a psychiatric disorder never receive treatment. A telehealth model for providing integrated mental health services in a school-based health clinic has the potential to increase access to specialized care for the most vulnerable youths. This column provides an overview of the strategies used to implement and integrate such a model in West Virginia. Operationalization, barriers, challenges, and judicious resource use are discussed. Appropriate reimbursement for services and state-specific legislation to ensure consistent revenue to sustain the program are considered.