What is Dallas Telepsychiatry?

Telemedicine refers to the provision of health care remotely using technology. Telepsychiatry is a subset that of telemedicine. It can include psychiatric evaluations and therapy (individual therapy or group therapy, family therapy), patient education, and medication management.

Telepsychiatry may involve direct interaction between the psychiatrist and the patient. This includes psychiatrists who provide mental health care consultation and expertise to primary care providers. You can deliver mental health care in live, interactive communication. You can also record medical information (images and videos, etc.). Sending this information to a remote site for review later.

Benefits

Telepsychiatry via video helps patients access affordable and convenient mental health services. Patients can reap the benefits of it in many ways.

• Access to mental health specialist care in rural areas can be improved.

• Take care of the patient at their location

• Integrating primary and behavioral health care can lead to improved outcomes.

• Reducing the number of trips to the emergency department

• Reduce delays in care

• Improve continuity of care, follow-up

• You can save time and use childcare services to reduce the amount of time you spend at work. Access appointments from faraway locations

• Reduce transportation barriers such as transportation inaccessibility or long driving distances.

• Eliminate stigmatization

Although some people might be hesitant or uncomfortable talking to someone on a screen with them, most people seem to be comfortable doing so. Some people might be more comfortable and open to sharing their thoughts from the comfort of home or at a nearby facility. This will likely to be less of an issue as people become more comfortable using video communication in their daily lives.

Telepsychiatry allows psychiatrists the ability to see more patients from distant locations. Psychiatrists, as well as other clinicians, must be licensed in the state where they work. Legislative bodies and state licensing boards consider the patient's location to be the place "the practice or medicine" takes place.

Telepsychiatry can have the drawback of not having the psychiatrist and patient in the same room. However, it can provide enhanced security and privacy for many patients.

Evidence of Effectiveness

Telepsychiatry is proven to be effective. Research has shown that patients, psychiatrists, as well as other professionals, are satisfied with it. Telepsychiatry can be compared to in-person care in terms of diagnostic accuracy, treatment effectiveness, and quality of care. In-person care is equivalent in terms of confidentiality and patient privacy.

Research also shows that all age groups experience positive overall. Children, adolescents, as well as adults, have good experiences with assessment and treatment (medications and therapy). Telemedicine can be more effective than in-person care for some people, such as patients with severe anxiety disorders or autism, and those with physical limitations.

Telepsychiatry is particularly effective in treating PTSD, depression and ADHD. You can find more information on the evidence for telepsychiatry.

Use in a Variety of Settings

Telepsychiatry can be used in many settings including outpatient clinics and hospitals, private practice, outpatient care, schools, nursing homes, correctional facilities, military treatment facilities, and schools.

For a live video session, patients can make appointments with their psychiatrists or therapists individually. If the provider offers this service, it can be done with them or one of many companies that offer access to mental health professionals for video appointments. As with an in-person appointment, patients should prepare and plan ahead. Be prepared with all relevant information, including prescriptions and a list of questions.

Telepsychiatry helps bring quicker psychiatric treatment to emergency rooms. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, one in eight emergency rooms visits is related to a mental or substance use condition. Many emergency rooms lack the ability to treat serious mental illnesses and don't have psychiatrists or other mental healthcare clinicians available to help. Only 17 percent of emergency room doctors reported that they had a psychiatrist available to treat psychiatric emergencies.

Telepsychiatry can be used in nursing homes for both ongoing psychiatric evaluations and care as well as emergency intervention. This is done when it might not be possible to find a local psychiatrist. Telepsychiatry is used in many states in correctional facilities that have inmates who need ongoing mental health care.

43 states and District of Columbia currently have laws that govern private payer reimbursement for Telehealth (Image: Center for Connected Health Policy/The Public Health Institute, State Telehealth Laws, and Reimbursement Policy Spring2020 Report).

Washington, D.C. and fifty states reimburse live video telehealth services in Medicaid fee for service. Only 16 states have Medicaid programs that reimburse for store-and forward services ("asynchronous Telemedicine"), in contrast.

Despite this, laws, policies and rules governing state Medicaid are constantly changing. If the community is rural, Medicare will pay for telepsychiatry services. Otherwise, the patient must report to an "Originating site" unless the patient has a substance abuse disorder. (Medicare will also cover any coexisting diagnosis under the SUPPORT Act. Medicare Telemedicine and Health Care Fact Sheet.

Definitions of Terms

APA Statement on Telemedicine in Psychiatry

Telemedicine in psychiatry is a valid and effective method of medicine that improves access to care. It uses video conferencing. The American Psychiatric Association supports telemedicine as a valid component of a mental healthcare delivery system, provided that it is for the benefit and confidentiality of patients and in accordance with APA policies and applicable governing laws. (Approved February 2018 by the APA Committee on Telepsychiatry.

Asynchronous, or "Store and Forward": Capture data and then transfer it to another site using a camera or other similar device. The image is stored in a camera (or similar device) and sent to another site via telecommunication for consultation.

Distant site: Website at which the doctor or licensed practitioner who is providing the service is located at time that the service is being provided by a telecommunications network. eHealth: Electronic communication and support for health care practices.

Electronic Health Record: A digitally recorded collection of electronic information about patients and populations. It can be shared via information networks or exchanges with other health care providers. EHRs typically include information about patients, such as their medical history, medications, allergies, immunization status and laboratory test results.

E-Prescribing is Electronic generation, transmission and filling medical prescriptions. This is in contrast to traditional paper prescriptions and faxed ones. E-prescribing is a way for qualified health care professionals to send prescriptions and renewals to local or mail-order pharmacies.

HIPAA is Acronym to Health Information Portability and Accountability Act. HIPAA is an acronym for Health Information Portability and Accountability Act.

Originating site: The location of the patient when the service is rendered via a telecommunications network.

Synchronous Interactive video connections which transmit information in both directions at the same time.

Teleconferencing - Interactive electronic communication between multiple users at different sites (voice, video and/or data transmission).

Teleconsultation: Consultation with a specialist and provider located far away using store-and-forward telemedicine or real time videoconferencing.

Telehealth, Telemedicine: Telemedicine refers to the exchange of medical information via electronic communications between two sites in order to improve patients' health. Telemedicine is closely associated with the term "telehealth", which is used to describe a wider definition of remote healthcare that does not always include clinical services. Telemedicine and telehealth include videoconferencing, still image transmission, e-health, remote monitoring of vitals and nursing call centers, as well as telemedicine and/or telehealth. Telemedicine is not an independent medical specialty. Telemedicine can include a variety of services and programs that are offered to the patient.

Videoconferencing Real time transmission of digital video images among multiple locations.