Telehealth’s opportunities for engagement in mental health.

Telehealth’s popularity continues to grow among practitioners and patients because it offers convenient and comfortable connections to care. This is especially true in mental health, where diagnosis, treatment, and medication management don’t always require in-office visits. 

More people are open to trying telehealth than ever before because its benefits have become more readily observable. However, mental health professionals who want to establish or increase their telehealth presence need to be equally savvy and sensitive about how they present it to their patients or clients—and about the quality and consistency of patient experience.

Let’s start with an overview of telehealth’s positives and why they draw people in. Then, we’ll move into opportunities to improve the patient experience.

Telehealth's plus side

One of telehealth’s biggest advantages is that it makes mental health care more accessible. It has alleviated problems associated with long travel distances, busy schedules, rural or remote living, and the stigma of visiting a mental health professional or facility. And there’s more:

Flexibility

Telehealth lets patients schedule appointments that fit their lives. Eliminating the need to commute to a doctor’s office saves people time and reduces stress. And speaking of stress, telehealth makes it easier for patients to get the care they need without missing work or other responsibilities, whether it's for a brief check-in or a longer therapy session. 

Some mental health conditions, like agoraphobia, make it hard to leave home. In cases like those, telehealth could very well be the difference between getting necessary care and not getting care at all.

Flexibility isn’t just for patients. Health care professionals can benefit from the technology by using it to expand the population they treat, filling appointment slots during the day that often go unfilled, and replacing canceled appointments with convenient care sessions.

Privacy and comfort 

Many people feel better opening up about their mental health when they’re in a familiar place. Meeting from home can reduce the stigma of going to a health care facility, which makes it easier for patients to talk about their feelings. 

The option of a video, phone, or text session gives people the ability to choose the most private and secure way to join their care visit. Telehealth also allows people to skip check-ins with an office manager or receptionist, which can sometimes be an uncomfortable or time-consuming process. Speaking of which, clinicians who operate telehealth-only practices are able to exert greater control over their staffing expenses.

Fewer missed appointments 

Appointment adherence is a big problem in mental health care. Patients are more likely to attend sessions when they don’t have to worry about transportation, taking time off work, or other daily challenges that create barriers to care. That’s good news for practitioners, too, because revenue goes up when appointment cancellations go down.

Better health outcomes 

People are more likely to stick to treatment plans when they can get care easily. Having timely access to a mental health professional can lead to better outcomes, especially for those with long-term or chronic mental health conditions. The ability to check in with a health care professional regularly gives people a greater sense of agency or ownership when it comes to their mental health.

There’s a big benefit here for health care professionals as well—beyond improving people’s health, of course. High patient satisfaction often leads to valuable word-of-mouth referrals.

Prioritizing patient experience

Telehealth isn’t without its issues. It’s technology, and sometimes things just don’t work as expected. And there’s a human side to consider, too. Addressing the following variables in patient experience doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. Once you have a system in place, you can easily integrate your solutions to common telehealth challenges into direct-to-patient marketing campaigns and work them into conversations you have with patients.

Privacy concerns 

Challenge: The stigma associated with mental health can cause people to become very sensitive about their privacy. Patients who don’t feel their information is safe are less likely to trust or use telehealth. Think about where your patients are and how you can accommodate their privacy needs. A college student doesn’t want everyone in their dorm to hear their therapy session. A busy professional won’t appreciate everyone in the office hearing about their diagnosis and treatment plan.

Recommendation: Share ideas for finding or creating private spaces for telehealth visits. If a patient can’t secure a private place, then perhaps offering a text- or chat-based session would be the best option because there’s no audio or video involved.

Self-efficacy 

Challenge: The more people are able to manage health care situations successfully on their own, the more likely they are to get the care they need. Common telehealth tech problems, such as lag, low-quality video or audio, and system errors, chip away at their sense of self-efficacy. No technology is perfect, but inconsistent patient experiences in a telehealth environment not only lower self-efficacy but also create the perception that telehealth is less effective than conventional care visits.

Recommendation: Educating patients about how telehealth works and how to deal with common issues will go a long way to building trust and self-efficacy. No, you don’t want to become someone’s tech-support person, but offering resources that boost confidence and make self-service realistic when the unexpected happens during a session will keep people coming back. This is an opportunity to create valuable outreach. A direct marketing campaign, a one-time communication, and in-office literature are just some of the approaches you could take.

Feelings of isolation 

Challenge: Telehealth can sometimes make people feel more alone because it lacks the in-person component of a care visit. While it’s true that a video session offers face-to-face interaction, people who already feel a sense of isolation—possibly because of a mental health condition—may find that telehealth worsens those feelings. An increased sense of isolation can affect how they view telehealth quality.

Recommendation: Consider designing a tiered care structure to increase telehealth engagement where automation technology facilitates routine interactions, telehealth connects patients to you for medication management and other appointments that tend to be short, and you reserve in-person sessions for longer appointments and more serious issues.

The future of automation and AI

Automation is definitely something to think about implementing. Automation solutions include mobile apps, AI chatbots, and interactive voice response phone systems. These technologies create an additional connection point for your patients and take some of the weight off you and your practice. Automation can handle check-ins and other low-risk, everyday items for you and your patients.

Here’s one example of automation in action. A technology solution that pings your patients to collect health updates from them at predetermined times keeps patients engaged with their care and enables them to let you or your staff know how they’re doing without disrupting your operations. And if a patient were to respond to the ping about their status in a very negative way, then you’d receive an alert to contact your patient immediately.

Creating a tiered care model for patients not only gives them a variety of options but also empowers them to make choices about how they get the care they need. This strategy also opens up new opportunities to boost your efforts in direct marketing, engagement, and patient satisfaction. 

You already know that patient experience and trust can be fragile. If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to selecting, activating, or marketing telehealth and automation technologies, consult with an expert or an agency with experience in these areas. 

Consulting & Operations (16)
Innovation & Emerging Tech (14)
Healthcare (1)
Technology (14)