American Journal of Managed Care (5/5, McCormick) reports a study found that “outpatient telepsychiatry care was associated with lower inpatient hospitalization rates and fewer emergency department admissions while maintaining comparable costs to Medicaid.” Researchers “conducted a cross-sectional analysis using 2022 Medicaid data to examine the costs and outcomes associated with timely outpatient telepsychiatry care delivered by Frontier Psychiatry in Billings, Montana, one of the largest psychiatric care organizations in the Intermountain West.” They found “lower hospitalization rates and emergency admissions for telepsychiatry patients, but similar readmission rates compared to controls.” Researchers concluded, “It is our hope that the findings we report here spur increased investment in, and access to, pragmatic and timely outpatient psychiatric treatment for some of our nation’s most vulnerable patients.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.
Related Links:
— “Telepsychiatry Services Cut Hospitalization Rates Without Raising Overall Costs,” , American Journal of Managed Care, May 5, 2025