Effect of Medicaid Audio‐Only Telehealth Coverage Policy on Mental Health Visits in Federally Qualified Health Centers

Audio-only telehealth appears to serve as a substitute rather than a complementary modality for in-person or video-based mental health services in FQHCs. Providing MAOC increased mental health visit rates at FQHCs without an established telemental health service, indicating improved accessibility. Given the quality concerns surrounding audio-only telehealth, further research is needed to validate this substitution effect and assess the quality of introducing these services as an option for FQHCs.