Understanding the Optimal Balance of Using Telehealth and In-person Services to Support Adults with Serious Mental Illness and Children with Serious Emotional Disturbance

This brief summarizes findings from a research project that examined access to and use of tele-mental health services among individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) and children with serious emotional disturbance (SED) and behavioral health consumer and provider perceptions of the optimal balance of telehealth and in-person services for people with SMI and SED. The brief reflects feedback from focus groups with providers, caregivers and patients from across the country on factors considered when deciding between use of in-person care or telehealth, and how they balance the use of each modality while considering patient safety, access to care, and the structural influences of the mental health system. Behavioral health systems and policymakers can provide practical guidance to providers on how to choose between these modalities of care, can incentivize provider participation in insurance networks, can ensure adequate network adequacy standards for behavioral health and can monitor the quality and outcomes of care to safeguard against potentially inappropriate substitution of telehealth for in-person services.