Developing a telebehavioral health strategy
Once you have decided that virtual behavioral health care makes sense for your practice, the next step is to create a strategic plan.
On this page:
Creating a telehealth plan
You must make practical business decisions and think ahead to ensure long-term stability and success. You will need to:
- Create a roadmap for when and how you will roll out new services. Review your process for managing appointments and adapt your workflow to telehealth appointments.
- Assess patient needs and research which behavioral health services are most needed in your area. Confirm if broadband internet is available in your community and whether residents have access to devices and high speed internet. It is also important to make sure that potential patients are comfortable using telehealth.
- Develop a marketing strategy. Update your website, advertising (online, radio, and print), email communications, and more. Describe how your practice can make it easy for patients to access this type of care.
Evaluating your telebehavioral health program
After you have developed your telehealth plan, you will want to track your program's effectiveness. This includes:
- Selecting program goals. It is important to have a vision of what you would like to achieve. Examples include increasing the number of patients using telebehavioral health, preventing "no shows" and cancelled appointments, and reducing patients’ travel.
- Identifying key performance indicators. Often called KPIs, these indicators assess the effectiveness and success of your telehealth program. Examples include changes in visit volume and the number of unique patients.
- Measures. KPIs should be used to track success. Examples of measures include percent reduction in missed appointments and increased number of visits conducted using telehealth.
- Tracking progress. Monitor your services regularly to identify opportunities for improvement.
Other program measurement considerations
It is important to monitor the impact of your telebehavioral health program as well as understand the challenges and areas for growth. This will ensure that your program is sustainable over time.
Ask patients questions such as:
- What do you like about your telebehavioral health appointments?
- What do you dislike about telebehavioral health appointments?
- What would you change?
- What would make the use of telehealth for behavioral and mental health care easier or more comfortable for you?
Ask your staff questions like:
- How is telebehavioral health affecting your work?
- What is working well?
- What challenges are you experiencing?
- What changes or improvements would you recommend?
More information:
Billing for telehealth — Health Resources and Services Administration
Build a sustainable telehealth practice — Health Resources and Services Administration
Getting started with telehealth — Health Resources and Services Administration
Planning your telehealth workflow — Health Resources and Services Administration
Evaluation Considerations for Telehealth Programs — Rural Health Information Hub