Rapid Increase in Telemental Health Within the Department of Veterans Affairs During the COVID 19 Pandemic.
Background: The use of telemental health via videoconferencing (TMH V) became critical during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19) pandemic due to restriction of non urgent in person appointments. The current brief report demonstrates the rapid growth in TMH V appointments in the weeks following the pandemic declaration within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) the largest healthcare system in the United States. Methods: COVID 19 changes in TMH V appointments were captured during the six weeks following the World Health Organization's pandemic declaration (March 11, 2020 April 22, 2020) Pre COVID 19 TMH V encounters were assessed from October 1, 2017 to March 10, 2020. Results: Daily TMH V encounters rose from 1,739 on March 11 to 11,406 on April 22 (556% growth, 222,349 total encounters) Between March 11 April 22, 114,714 patients were seen via TMH V, and 77.5% were first time TMH V users. 12,342 MH providers completed a TMH V appointment between March 11 April 22, and 34.7% were first time TMH V users. The percentage growth of TMH V appointments was higher than the rise in telephone appointments (442% growth) in person appointments dropped by 81% during this time period. Discussion and Conclusions: The speed of VA's growth in TMH V appointments in the wake of the COVID 19 pandemic was facilitated by its pre existing telehealth infrastructure, including earlier national efforts to increase the number of providers using TMH V. Longstanding barriers to TMH V implementation were lessened in the context of a pandemic, during which non urgent in person MH care was drastically reduced. Future work is necessary to understand the extent to which COVID 19 related changes in TMH V use may permanently impact mental health care provision.
Telemedicine journal and e health the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association