Comparison of Treatment Modality Crossovers in Telehealth and In-Person Behavioral Health Treatment in Rural...

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Health
• Health Services Research
• Telemedicine

Background:

• Treatment crossovers, switching between care modalities, are understudied in usual care settings.
• Understanding these shifts is crucial for effective behavioral health service delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the extent of modality crossovers in behavioral health treatment.
• To compare crossover rates between telehealth and in-person cohorts.
• To examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on treatment modality shifts.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, multisite study compared telehealth and in-person behavioral health treatment cohorts.
• Treatment modality for each encounter was tracked.
• Data were analyzed overall and across pre- and during-pandemic periods.

Main Results:

• Overall modality crossovers occurred in 6.3% of encounters.
• Patients in the in-person cohort were more likely to switch to telehealth (8.5%) than vice versa (3.4%).
• The COVID-19 pandemic increased the occurrence of off-mode encounters.

Conclusions:

• Modality crossovers were more prevalent in the in-person cohort, particularly during the pandemic.
• Increased telehealth availability suggests future rises in treatment crossovers.
• Researchers and practitioners should monitor and consider crossover frequency in behavioral and chronic condition management.