Epstein Becker Green’s 2018 Telemental Health Laws survey, and corresponding app, was featured in Healthcare Informatics, in “Research: Trends Point to Positive Increase in Telehealth Acceptance, Access,” by Rajiv Leventhal.

Following is an excerpt:

Stakeholders’ recognition of telehealth benefits has continually increased, as doors are now opening for various subsets of medicine, including tele-mental health, according to new research from law firm Epstein Becker Green (EBG).

The 2018 Tele-mental Health Laws survey provides an update to state telehealth laws, regulations, and policies for mental and behavioral health practitioners and stakeholders across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The survey’s researchers said that in the last few years, “the public’s and the healthcare industry’s recognition of the benefits of telehealth has continually increased. While the shortage of behavioral health providers has long been acknowledged, the use of telehealth technologies, including practice management systems and online patient portals, to provide greater access to behavioral health professionals has increasingly gained traction and continues to gain validation as an alternative model of care delivery.”

What’s more, EBG also found that current events and issues, such as the opioid epidemic, have put more pressure than ever before on federal and state legislators to pass laws that promote access to, and provide guidance for, providers seeking to utilize telehealth services.

The survey revealed various reasons for the increase of access to tele-mental health services, and telehealth services overall …

This year’s survey also looked at positive trends in telehealth adoption and usage models, including: school sites and pediatric care; the Department of Veterans Affairs’ expanded telehealth programs (since its rollout, the VA’s telehealth program has onboarded approximately 20,000 new patients and hosts more than 6,000 virtual visits each week); and the promotion of care models for growing aging-in-place populations.

Jump to Page

Privacy Preference Center

When you visit any website, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This information might be about you, your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalized web experience. Because we respect your right to privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings. However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.

Performance Cookies

These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.