TY - JOUR
AU - B. Picillo
AU - H. Yu-Lefler
AU - C. Bui
AU - M. Wendt
AU - A. Sripipatana
A1 - 
AB - Objective: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-funded health centers provide critical behavioral health services to historically and medically underserved individuals with complex health and social needs. As health centers rapidly expanded telehealth in response to COVID-19, the objective of the study was to assess whether telehealth use was associated with utilization and continuity within mental health care received by patients of HRSA-funded health centers. Methods: Cross-sectional analyses, using a nationally representative sample of adult patients with mental health needs from the 2022 Health Center Patient Survey (n = 1,044), explored associations between telehealth use and utilization of mental health services from primary care providers (PCP) and continuity of counseling services. Multivariate logistic regression models accounted for predisposing, enabling, and need factors to assess the influence of telehealth use on utilization and continuity outcomes. Results: After adjusting for patient-level factors, telehealth users with mental health needs had statistically significant and higher odds of receiving mental health services from a PCP at a health center compared with nontelehealth users (adjusted odds ratios [aOR] = 2.60, p < 0.001; 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.50, 4.52]). Telehealth-using patients receiving counseling services had statistically significant and higher odds of receiving all counseling services at a health center compared with nontelehealth users (aOR = 3.65, p < 0.001, 95% CI [2.04, 6.53]). Conclusions: Telehealth facilitates mental health care utilization and continuity for historically and medically underserved patients at health centers and can be an important tool for care management and coordination for patients with mental health needs, particularly during and following public health emergencies.
AD - Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.; Bureau of Health Workforce, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, Maryland, USA.; Bureau of Primary Health Care, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, Maryland, USA.; Office of Planning, Analysis and Evaluation, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, Maryland, USA.
AN - 40014364
BT - Telemed J E Health
C5 - HIT & Telehealth
DA - Feb 27
DO - 10.1089/tmj.2025.0011
DP - NLM
ET - 20250227
JF - Telemed J E Health
LA - eng
N2 - Objective: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-funded health centers provide critical behavioral health services to historically and medically underserved individuals with complex health and social needs. As health centers rapidly expanded telehealth in response to COVID-19, the objective of the study was to assess whether telehealth use was associated with utilization and continuity within mental health care received by patients of HRSA-funded health centers. Methods: Cross-sectional analyses, using a nationally representative sample of adult patients with mental health needs from the 2022 Health Center Patient Survey (n = 1,044), explored associations between telehealth use and utilization of mental health services from primary care providers (PCP) and continuity of counseling services. Multivariate logistic regression models accounted for predisposing, enabling, and need factors to assess the influence of telehealth use on utilization and continuity outcomes. Results: After adjusting for patient-level factors, telehealth users with mental health needs had statistically significant and higher odds of receiving mental health services from a PCP at a health center compared with nontelehealth users (adjusted odds ratios [aOR] = 2.60, p < 0.001; 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.50, 4.52]). Telehealth-using patients receiving counseling services had statistically significant and higher odds of receiving all counseling services at a health center compared with nontelehealth users (aOR = 3.65, p < 0.001, 95% CI [2.04, 6.53]). Conclusions: Telehealth facilitates mental health care utilization and continuity for historically and medically underserved patients at health centers and can be an important tool for care management and coordination for patients with mental health needs, particularly during and following public health emergencies.
PY - 2025
SN - 1530-5627
ST - Telehealth-Facilitated Mental Health Care Access and Continuity for Patients Served at the Health Resources and Services Administration-Funded Health Centers
T1 - Telehealth-Facilitated Mental Health Care Access and Continuity for Patients Served at the Health Resources and Services Administration-Funded Health Centers
T2 - Telemed J E Health
TI - Telehealth-Facilitated Mental Health Care Access and Continuity for Patients Served at the Health Resources and Services Administration-Funded Health Centers
U1 - HIT & Telehealth
U3 - 10.1089/tmj.2025.0011
VO - 1530-5627
Y1 - 2025
ER -