Federal telehealth policy changes during the COVID-19 public health emergency: Associations with telemental health use among rural and urban Medicare beneficiaries.
Jean A TalbotAmanda R BurgessYvonne C JonkHeidi O'ConnorPublished in: The Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association (2023)
TMH mitigated PHE-related barriers to MHS access for rural and urban beneficiaries, but urban residents benefited disproportionately. Among rural beneficiaries, older age was related to lower TMH use. To avoid reinforcing existing MHS access disparities, policies must address factors limiting TMH use among rural beneficiaries, especially those over 75 and those from historically underserved communities.