Unfortunately, 30 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties lack sufficient numbers of mental health providers to meet the demand. In contrast, 14 counties have higher-than-average numbers of practitioners, but they are generally clustered in the same areas and not conveniently spread across the state.
Compare, for example, Philadelphia and its suburbs to rural counties such as Cameron in northern Pennsylvania. The five counties in the Philadelphia area all have more than the state average of 179 mental health providers per 100,000 residents. Meanwhile, rural Cameron County has only 21 providers per 100,000.
Telehealth could help bridge these gaps, connecting mental health providers in areas like Philadelphia to patients in rural areas. Getting, and getting to, appointments would be far more convenient—think of the travel time eliminated!
Being able to remotely connect to a mental health care professional from the comfort of your own couch could make a big difference in allowing people across the state to access care, regardless of location. That, in turn, could make a dent in wait times and ease the burden on patients, who may have to travel for hours for each appointment.
In fact, psychiatrists discussing the shortage in the magazine Managed Care report that video consults can be easier for patients with conditions like autism or schizophrenia as they can grow anxious with direct interaction. Further, the next generation of patients is accustomed to interacting via screen time and may be more comfortable with telehealth instead of in-person appointments.
Pennsylvania is one step closer to streamlining practices in the virtual health care field by establishing guidelines for providers and insurance company payments. The state Senate recently approved legislation containing that framework. This legislation could be considered by the House in the fall (especially if patients in need let their representatives know how accessing telepsychiatry services could improve their health).
As that legislation progresses, and providers, patients, and insurers become increasingly familiar with telehealth services, the possibilities for bringing mental health care right to your own couch can only multiply.