To Truly Address Behavioral Health Worker Shortages, We Need Telemedicine

How? Through telemedicine.  After so much care went online during COVID-19, patients of all ages and backgrounds have completed a crash course in virtual care – and they are liking the results.  In 2022, 17 percent of people sought out virtual mental or behavioral healthcare compared to just 11 percent in 2021, according to research from Cigna’s Evernorth services group.  Both employers and health plans are equally eager to make virtual behavioral health access a permanent feature of their offerings, the report added.

Telemedicine makes it easier for more patients in a wider geographical area to connect with skilled providers without the challenges of transportation, childcare, or taking excessive time off work.  

Take the example of the Indian Health System (IHS), which serves extremely remote and vulnerable American Indian and Alaskan Native communities across some of the most rugged and poorly connected regions in the country.  Through telemedicine, IHS patients can get consistent, culturally competent care from highly qualified social workers and psychiatrists at their local clinics or even in their homes – care that would be close to impossible if these communities had to rely solely on in-person behavioral healthcare.