Table 3:
Perceptions of Tele-Psychiatry Challenges to Providing Mental Health Services to Youth During the COVID-19 Pandemic, State and County Mental Health Agency Officials, September 21, 2020- October 30, 2020
| Perceived Tele-Psychiatry Challenges |
n | Meana | SD | %b |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patient Challenges | ||||
| Lack of reliable internet access, data on cellphone plans, or equipment (i.e., laptops, iPads, smartphones) | 140 | 5.47 | 1.52 | 59 |
| Tele-psychiatry services not developmentally appropriate for some youth (e.g., age of child; child is non-verbal) | 139 | 4.81 | 1.81 | 41 |
| Youth or families not comfortable with tele-psychiatry | 140 | 3.89 | 1.67 | 19 |
| Youth or families not aware of the option for tele-psychiatry | 139 | 3.27 | 1.78 | 12 |
| Youth or families concerned about privacy issues | 138 | 3.22 | 1.76 | 12 |
| Provider Challenges | ||||
| Lack of provider training on tele-psychiatry | 140 | 3.71 | 1.77 | 18 |
| Types of therapies offered do not translate to tele-psychiatry | 139 | 3.68 | 1.74 | 17 |
| Providers not comfortable with tele-psychiatry | 141 | 3.66 | 1.55 | 11 |
| Regulations regarding billing (e.g., unable to bill for text messaging) | 137 | 3.38 | 1.93 | 18 |
| Lack of remote work policies for providers | 135 | 3.33 | 1.93 | 16 |
| Access to a HIPPA adherent platform to practice tele-psychiatry | 138 | 2.99 | 1.89 | 13 |
| Regulations do not permit flexible delivery of the service | 138 | 2.92 | 1.84 | 14 |
| Licensing challenges | 132 | 2.54 | 1.72 | 7 |
| Financing Challenges | ||||
| Lack of/insufficient private/commercial insurance reimbursement for tele-psychiatry | 132 | 3.40 | 1.95 | 15 |
| Lack of/insufficient CHIP reimbursement for tele-psychiatry | 132 | 2.92 | 1.76 | 9 |
| Limited number of tele-psychiatry services for which reimbursement is provided | 136 | 2.89 | 1.78 | 10 |
| Lack of/insufficient Medicaid reimbursement for tele-psychiatry | 135 | 2.84 | 1.74 | 7 |
Note: N= 159
a.
7-point Likert scale: 1= not a challenge, 7= major challenge
b.
Percentage of respondents indicating 6 or 7 on scale.