Higher Telemedicine Use By Medicare Mental Health Specialists Linked To Increased Rural Patient Access

Medicare mental health specialists with high uptake of telemedicine mental health services between 2018 and 2023 had a 0.88 percentage point higher share of services provided to fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries in rural areas, compared to mental health specialists in the lowest telemedicine uptake quartile, according to a recent study. Much of the increase in rural service use was due to existing patients moving farther away from their specialists, rather than new rural beneficiaries seeking out telemedicine mental health services. The researchers concluded that tailored policy interventions would be needed to reach more rural or hard-to-reach . . .