Telehealth is here to stay. Psychologists should equip themselves to offer it

This rapid and widespread adoption was largely enabled by the federal government’s declaration of a public health emergency (PHE), which prompted several significant policy changes that made telehealth more feasible for both patients and providers. “However, most every provider in our organization continues to provide telehealth services for those clients who prefer that.” “I am so appreciative that technology has enabled us to provide telehealth services, as they have been proven to be effective and beneficial for so many people who need care,” she said. According to Diane Pedulla, JD, director of regulatory affairs in APA’s Office of Health Care Financing, policy changes at the federal and state levels made it easier for providers to offer telehealth. “A key factor in providing services to patients across the country has been the flexibilities extended by both public and private payers,” Pedulla said. Public and private payers have also allowed telehealth visits using audio-only devices, such as the phone, which is crucial to providing services to people who may not have access to videoconferencing platforms or reliable Wi-Fi, said Pedulla. During the PHE, it has reimbursed providers for telehealth services at federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and rural health clinics (RHCs), and it has reimbursed all psychologists for telehealth services at the non-facility rate.

Telehealth policies incorporated into federal law will strongly impact telehealth delivery for mental health services after the PHE ends, Pedulla said. For example, patients can continue receiving telehealth services in their own homes, Pedulla said. “The Department of Health and Human Services will resume its enforcement when the PHE ends, so psychologists should begin to incorporate technology that is HIPAA compliant into their telehealth practices,” Baker said. Unfortunately, CMS did not adopt an earlier recommendation by APA to permanently continue reimbursing telehealth services at the higher, non-facility rate, Pedulla said. “With the increased need for telepsychology services during the pandemic, PSYPACT was viewed by many states to be a solution to increase access to care,” said Janet Orwig, MBA, who is the compact’s executive director. “Member states have expressed gratitude in having additional providers that are available to provide mental health services to their citizens,” said Orwig. “From the data we have seen, it seems that consumers of mental health services have appreciated the flexibility that telepsychology offers, so we are hopeful that advocacy for telepsychology and telehealth in general will continue,” she said. “Many of these patients simply did not have access to the technology needed to participate in telehealth services,” said McLeod. “Many times, patients had concerns about lack of privacy when receiving telehealth services from their homes—for example, teens with parents who might listen in,” said McLeod.