Opinion: Startups should focus on innovations that truly improve mental health

An unexpected side effect of the tragedy of the Covid-19 pandemic is unprecedented opportunity for innovation in mental health care, largely due to the rapid expansion of telehealth and the increased demand for mental health services.
As an example, one insurance company reported that claims for telehealth increased from 200 in February 2020, just before the full force of the pandemic hit the U.S., to 38,000 just three months later. We don’t know how much of this shift will be sustained once Covid-19 has been tamed, nor do we know its complete impact on clinical outcomes, but the pandemic experience shows that profound change in the delivery of mental health care can be rapid and widespread once the right incentives are in place. Read the rest…