Trends in mental health care and telehealth use across area deprivation: An analysis of electronic health records from 2016 to 2024

While telehealth may improve access to healthcare for some, it may also widen gaps in access across different economic groups. Using electronic health records for outpatient mental health care of patients with depression in a large US academic health system, we assessed changes in mental health care utilization from 2016 to 2024 (primary care: <i>n</i> = 42,640 patients, 270,754 visits; psychiatry: <i>n</i> = 12,846 patients, 336,918 visits) and odds of using telehealth relative to in-person care from 2020 to 2024, across national area deprivation index (ADI) percentiles. We found that over 3 years prepandemic (July 2016-June 2019), the volume of mental health care delivered to patients from low-deprivation areas (1st-25th national ADI percentile) was increasing at a steeper rate than for high-deprivation areas (76th-100th national ADI percentile). Visit volume changed rapidly at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and by July 2021 it was increased relative to prepandemic levels. From July 2021 to June 2024, volume of care declined for all deprivation groups, but at a more rapid rate for the high-deprivation group than the low-deprivation group. Further, on average from July 2020 to June 2024, the odds of receiving telehealth relative to in-person care were significantly higher for patients living in low deprivation rather than high-deprivation areas in both primary care and psychiatry. We did not find evidence of telehealth improving access to care for patients in high-deprivation areas. Differences in telehealth use may contribute to sustained disparities in access to mental health care across economic groups.