Is Teletherapy Next For Telehealth?

By Christine Kern, contributing writer

TalkSpace raised $9.5 million in a seed round from investors last month.

As healthcare providers and payers struggle to contain escalating healthcare costs and provide services more efficiently and effectively, telehealth services are coming to the forefront as a way to improve patient outcomes while keeping expenses under control. Recently, a monumental step was taken with the establishment of an interstate telehealth compact that would ease regulatory processes for physicians practicing across state lines.

The value of telehealth in helping reduce financial pressures has been demonstrated by the results of a joint telehealth pilot program aimed to address the shift towards value-based care and increased penalties for readmissions. Royal Philips and Arizona-based Banner Health saw a 45 percent reduction in hospitalizations of chronically ill patients in the first six months of the pilot.

But will that success extend to mental health services? TalkSpace is about to find out.

Last month, TalkSpace raised $9.5 million in seed money from investors Spark Capital and Softbank to fund a service that connects people anonymously via mobile devices and the Web with licensed therapists for help with mental health issues, according to Xconomy. The TalkSpace service includes unlimited messaging therapy that allows patients to text therapists anonymously for a monthly fee. Users can also book live video therapy sessions or make posts in public forums discussing their issues.

Today reports U.S. Department of Health & Human Services data shows only 38 percent of adults with mental health problems get the treatment they need. Of the two-thirds of those who are referred to therapy but never go, cost is the primary obstacles since many therapists do not accept insurance. The median cost per session for psychologists is $75, and most patients end up paying out of pocket.

And two 2013 studies – one from the University of Zurich published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, the other published in Cyberpyschology, Behavior and Networking – found text therapy can be just as effective, if not more effective, than in-person therapy.

While text-therapy probably will never completely replace in-person therapy altogether, there is a void that such a service can fill in the healthcare marketplace. Patients cannot always access or afford in-person therapy, and in some cases, patients may experience such overwhelming anxiety about discussing their issues with strangers in an in-person setting that it might prevent them from seeking help.

“The perceived anonymity in internet communications may enable some patients to be more forthcoming, thereby facilitating more therapeutic progress,” Today quotes the American Psychiatric Association as writing in a 2014 resource document. “On the other hand, the physician will be unable to interpret awkward silences and other important meta-communications that do not come through.”