THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBING

PHILADELPHIA - Tridiuum, the nation's premier provider of digital behavioral health solutions, today released the results of a new survey about the current and future state of telemental healthcare delivery. The survey found that 81 percent of behavioral health providers began using telehealth for the first time in the last six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even more importantly, 70 percent of respondents reported they plan to continue offering telehealth services post-pandemic, and that they intend to leverage video visits for at least 50 percent of their patients moving forward.

The findings are significant because behavioral health providers have historically cited concerns that virtual therapy could not be as effective as in-person visits “ despite the volume of literature that has proven those fears are unwarranted. As a result, behavioral health providers lagged even further behind primary care and other physical health providers in adoption of telehealth prior to the pandemic. The new Tridiuum survey, based on feedback from 438 mostly first-time users, is real-world confirmation that behavioral healthcare delivered via video-conferencing is comparable or even better on multiple quality indicators.

The survey's top insights regarding the impact on clinical care include:

• Clinical effectiveness: 81 percent of respondents said their clinical interventions via video sessions were equally effective or more effective at improving patients' conditions as in-person visits, with 38 percent specifying that video enhanced their ability to help patients.

• Therapeutic alliances: 81 percent of respondents reported that video conferencing had the same or a positive impact on how they connected and engaged with patients, with 36 percent sharing that they recognized improvements in patient relationships through video visits.

• Patient disclosures: 83 percent of respondents said video-conferencing had no impact or a positive impact on the level of information patients shared about their personal lives, conditions, or symptoms. Thirty-nine percent of respondents felt that patients disclosed even more information during video visits “ possibly because they felt more comfortable within their homes, rather than in a traditional office setting.

• Clinical workflow: 85 percent of respondents reported that video-conferencing had no impact or a positive impact on their clinical workflows, referring to the time and effort required to deliver care. Forty-six percent reported that their clinical workflows were positively impacted by the shift to virtual care.

"At Tridiuum , we are always eager to innovate and adapt to help behavioral health providers and the patients they serve," said Mark Redlus, CEO for Tridiuum. "These survey results are yet another data point to illustrate that telemental healthcare is not less effective than in-person care. In fact, it can even improve clinical care, while offering providers and patients the options they need, want, and deserve. As the industry continues to shift toward virtual care, we're proud to partner with so many independent and group behavioral providers to support their telemental health efforts, improve outcomes, and to do our part to make a difference in patients' lives."

Tridiuum first announced the addition of HIPAA-compliant video capabilities to its Tridiuum ONE platform to enhance telemental health sessions in April. Tridiuum's platform also facilitates measurement-based care (MBC), which has strong empirical support for improving patient engagement and outcomes. Tridiuum ONE equips providers with the tools needed to accurately measure patient progress, identify when there's a need to alter treatment course, and identify patients who may be ready to graduate from care.