athenahealth, Inc., a leading provider of network-enabled software and services for medical groups and health systems nationwide, today unveiled new research on mental health diagnoses by primary care providers. Diagnosis patterns were tracked using deidentified data from a cohort of approximately 24.2 million patients between May and December 2020 on the athenahealth nationwide network.
Across demographic groups, the data showed consistent patterns in diagnosis rates, or the percentage of patients in the cohort who were diagnosed with either anxiety or depression at some point during the eight-month timeframe. Anxiety was the most prevalent diagnosis, but depression diagnoses were also common. The conditions were not diagnosed at equal rates across all demographic groups, but similar demographic patterns were observed for both conditions.
Asian Patients Least Likely to be Diagnosed with Anxiety or Depression
According to athenahealth’s data, white patients were more likely to discuss anxiety and depression with a primary care provider, and significantly more likely to be diagnosed with either condition -- compared to Asian, African American, or Black, and Hispanic/Latino patients. The largest gap was between white and Asian patients. White patients were 227% more likely to be diagnosed for anxiety and 213% more likely to be diagnosed with depression than Asian patients.
Patients in Midlife Most Likely to be Diagnosed with Anxiety or Depression
The data also shows differences in anxiety and depression diagnoses among various age groups. Patients aged 51-70 were most likely to be diagnosed with anxiety, while those aged 71-80 were most likely to be diagnosed with depression. Patients aged 81+ were far less likely to be diagnosed with either of the two mental health conditions than younger patients.
Mental Health Diagnoses Increase with Multiple Chronic Conditions
The more chronic conditions a patient had, according to the research, the more likely they would discuss mental health with a primary care provider. And with more chronic conditions, the patient was more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety or depression. Compared to patients without any chronic conditions, those with 4 or more chronic conditions were 5.1 times more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety, and 9.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with depression.
“In our research we have seen some consistent and worrisome patterns in mental health diagnosis rates across demographic groups. We’ve seen patients of color are much less likely to discuss mental health issues with their primary care provider to get the help they need. Whether this is due to cultural stigma, financial and language barriers, or other factors, this is an area that needs more attention and cannot be overlooked,” said Jessica Sweeney-Platt, vice president of research and editorial strategy at athenahealth. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health visits were more essential than ever, and we saw mental health providers quickly turning to telehealth with 33% of visits on the athenahealth network happening virtually. We hope that telehealth usage may provide greater accessibility to patients seeking treatment and support.”
To learn more about these findings, please visit: https://www.athenahealth.com/knowledge-hub/clinical-trends/data-show-inequalities-in-mental-health-diagnoses.
About athenahealth, Inc.
athenahealth partners with medical organizations across the country to drive clinical and financial results. Our vision is to create a thriving ecosystem that delivers accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all, and we are pursuing this through our medical record, revenue cycle, patient engagement, and care coordination service offerings. Our expert teams build modern technology on an open, connected ecosystem, yielding insights that make a difference for our customers and their patients. For more information, please visit www.athenahealth.com.
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