TABLE 2—

Differences in the Number of Specialty Outpatient Mental Health Visits per Beneficiary Diagnosed With Mental Illness Between Rural and Urban Patients: United States, 2010 vs 2017

	Rural Rate of Mental Health Visits per Individual		Urban Rate of Mental Health Visits per Individual		Difference in Rate of Mental Health Visits per Individual (Rural vs Urban)		Adjusted Change in Difference From 2010 to 2017,a Rural vs Urban (95% CI)
	2010	2017	2010	2017	2010	2017
All beneficiaries diagnosed with mental illness
In-person	1.73	1.43	2.93	2.61	−1.20	−1.19	−0.03 (−0.07, 0.01)
TMH	0.02	0.06	0.00	0.01	0.01	0.06	0.04* (0.038, 0.042)
All	1.75	1.49	2.93	2.62	−1.19	−1.13	0.01 (−0.03, 0.05)
Beneficiaries diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder
In-person	4.12	3.52	5.52	5.33	−1.40	−1.81	−0.42* (−0.55, −0.29)
TMH	0.04	0.21	0.01	0.03	0.04	0.18	0.14* (0.13, 0.15)
All	4.16	3.73	5.53	5.36	−1.36	−1.63	−0.28* (−0.41, −0.15)

Notes. CI = confidence interval; TMH = telemental health. Adjusted change is based on a linear regression model. Rates were calculated by dividing the total number of visits for each group by the total number of beneficiaries in each group.

^aNegative value indicates that the rural–urban difference in the rate of outpatient mental health visits per individual increased between 2010 and 2017. Positive value indicates that the rural–urban difference decreased between 2010 and 2017.

^*P < .05.