Healthier Together: The benefits of virtual behavioral health

The U.S. and Washington are in the midst of a behavioral health crisis,, but virtual treatment holds promise to help get more people access to care, said Dr. Mike Franz, executive medical director of behavioral health for Regence BlueShield.

The crisis is particularly acute for youth, with 44 percent of high schoolers feeling persistently hopeless or sad, and 19 percent seriously contemplating suicide, according to a 2002 survey from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

The traditional model of in-person behavioral health care faces a major challenge: accessibility. Dr. Franz points out that many U.S. counties lack a single psychiatrist or psychologist. However, the advent of virtual behavioral health care is changing the landscape.

"The delivery of behavioral health care went from about 98 percent brick and mortar in-person to 100 percent virtual during COVID," said Dr. Franz. Even after the pandemic, 50 percent of all behavioral health care continues to be rendered virtually.

This shift to virtual care has some significant advantages, Dr. Franz said. "It is increasing access, and people actually seem to like to get their care this way." The majority of patients report high satisfaction with virtual care, a trend that is reshaping how mental health services are delivered.

People don’t just like virtual care; it leads to better health outcomes. "The research shows that for mild to moderate mental health and substance use disorders that can be treated effectively via virtual health, the outcomes are at least as good as they are in person," Dr. Franz said.

Here are some of the virtual providers offered by Regence BlueShield and other health plans:

• Boulder Care is an addiction and substance use disorder virtual treatment provider. Boulder Care’s unique model includes peer and social services support.
• Charlie Health is designed for teens and young adults ages 12-30 years, and offers group, family and individual therapy.
• Talkspace is a virtual care solution that provides online therapy, self-help tools and psychotherapy for ages 13-plus, and medication management for ages 18-plus.
• Array Behavioral Care is a national virtual behavioral health provider specializing in psychiatry and counseling services.