Summary
Summary: The goal of this study was to assess the outcomes of a primary-based telepsychiatry intervention program for older managed care enrollees with depression/anxiety and with limited access to in-person psychiatric care.
A pre-post design was used to examine service use and severity of depression. Enrollment, claims, and depression and anxiety score data were obtained from the medical group. The implementation process and self-reported outcomes were examined.
The program was funded by the Senior Care Action Network (SCAN) group and implemented by a large medical group serving older adults who were identified as needing outpatient psychiatric care, including those with psychiatric hospitalizations, depression/anxiety disorders, comorbid substance use disorders, or other multiple comorbidities.
Findings: The number of outpatient services declined significantly per patient per 6-month time frame following the first telepsychiatry visit. The number of emergency department visits and hospitalizations also declined after the first visit. Depression severity scores also declined in the quarters following the first visit. The medical group reported improvements in both wait time for appointments and no-show rates with the integration of telepsychiatry in primary care.
The telepsychiatry program lowered service use, depression severity, and increased better access to psychiatry care. The findings highlight the potential benefits of sustaining and expanding the telepsychiatry program by SCAN and other plans facing a limited supply of psychiatrists.
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