Trends in Telepsychiatry and In-Person Psychiatric Care for Depression in an Academic Health System, 2017-2022

Objective: The authors aimed to assess differences in appointment completion rates between telepsychiatry and in -person outpatient psychiatric care for patients with depression in an academic health system. Methods: Electronic health records of encounters for patients (ages >= 10) with a depression diagnosis and at least one scheduled outpatient psychiatric appointment (N=586,266 appointments; November 2017-October 2022) were assessed for appointment volume and completion of telepsychiatry versus in -person sessions. Results: Telepsychiatry became the dominant care modality after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, although the number of telepsychiatry and in -person appointments nearly converged by October 2022. Logistic regression showed that telepsychiatry appointments (July 2020-October 2022) were more likely (OR=1.30, 95% CI=1.27-1.34) to be completed than in -person appointments. Conclusions: Telepsychiatry appointments were less likely to be canceled or missed than in -person appointments, suggesting that telepsychiatry improved efficiency and continuity of care. As in -person operations resume following the pandemic, maintaining telepsychiatry services may optimize hospital -level and patient outcomes.