Top 3 Benefits of Telehealth for Mental Health Care

With telehealth services becoming increasingly available, and the need for mental health treatment on the rise, many patients and providers are turning to virtual platforms for mental health care that traditionally was delivered only in the office. Let’s take a look at the top 3 benefits of this shift:

1) Easier patient access to mental health care
Telehealth services are provided via internet-based technology, meaning that patients and providers no longer need to be in the same physical location in order to get the mental health care they need. For patients who cannot transport themselves, or who have a great deal of difficulty getting from their home to an office due to travel distance, lack of transportation support, finances, etc. these virtual “visits” can make a huge difference.

2) Easier access to specialists
Living in a remote area used to mean that, in order to see a provider who specializes in treatment for your particular condition, you needed to find a way to travel sometimes great distances to get to them. With telehealth services, that is no longer the case. Now, geriatric patients with mental health care needs can get immediate access to providers who have the training and experience needed to treat them effectively, without needing to travel.

3) Convenience in scheduling, billing, and prescribing
Many telehealth technology systems are now designed to provide seamless integration of all aspects of receiving mental health care – scheduling appointments, having prescriptions directed to your pharmacy, and billing your health insurance company for the mental health services provided are all built-in to the telehealth experience.

These benefits are just the tip of the iceberg. As telehealth services continue to expand, we will learn more about how the mental health care field can be impacted and how patient outcomes can benefit.