In an effort to expand service delivery to those whom are most at need, I believe that ongoing reimbursement for Telehealth Audio for Outpatient Therapy would be a benefit for public health. Reimbursing for only Tele-medicine (requiring both video and audio simultaneously) excludes some of our most vulnerable population whom not have access to the technology and reliable Internet service available to take advantage of this. As a clinical services manager I have seen first-hand the benefit of Telehealth Audio during the pandemic, to the point where our ability to serve clients in need exceeded pre-pandemic levels. This is because the Telehealth Audio option not only provides effective social distancing but it also provides a means for clients to overcome barriers to treatment that were present pre-pandemic namely transportation (i.e. for some of our clients it could take them 4-5 hours out of their day traveling round trip by bus for a one hour therapy session). This has proven to be a time comment that many of our clients are not willing to make when they are attempting to work toward securing employment and attending to other personal needs in the community.  Therefore, in the spirit of providing equitable treatment for those in need, I believe allowing for Telehealth audio to be a reimbursable method of service delivery would be a step in the right direction to provide expanded access to those most in need in our community.

Julius Smith, LPC 

Adult Outpatient Clinical Services Manager 

Hampton Newport News Community Services Board