It is the use of two-way, real time, interactive audio and video to provide and support psychiatric care when distance separates the provider and the patient.
Over the past twenty years there has been staggering growth in the demand for all types of healthcare services, especially in behavioral health evaluation and medication management, resulting in a shortage of qualified practitioners to provide the needed services. Geographically, there is an imbalance between need and available services; some communities are over-represented, other communities suffer without an available pool of professional staff to provide the services that are desperately needed.
A 2006 report by the American Medical Association (AMA) found that the supply of U.S. psychiatrists shrank 27 percent between 1990 and 2002 yet physician staffing industry data indicate that demand increased by 16 percent over that same time period. At the same time, the aging of the psychiatrist population is also negatively impacting access. Almost half (46%) of the more than 40,000 U.S. psychiatrists are 55 years or older, compared to approximately 35% of all U.S. physicians, according to the AMA.
The following are excerpts from select articles:
An Article in Psychiatric Services (June 2007, 58:836-843) stated: Psychiatric consultation and short-term follow-up can be as effective when delivered by telepsychiatry as when provided face to face.
Steven E. Hyler, M.D., and Dinu P. Gangure, M.D., reviewed 12 studies published since 1995 on the costs of telepsychiatry projects implemented in the United States and other countries and concluded that seven of the 12 studies showed that telepsychiatry is financially viable in selected settings. (July 2003 Psychiatric Services 54:976-980).
A review of 68 publications concluded the prospective, empirical literature provides evidence that patients and care providers are satisfied with this mode of service delivery. The review also discovered preliminary evidence suggesting that some disorders, such as depression, can be effectively treated via such technology. (Monnier, Knapp, and Frueh, Psychiatric Services 54:1604-1609, December 2003).
No. e-Psychiatry will provide your organization with video teleconferencing software, to connect patients with e-Psychiatry practitioners, at no cost.
e-Psychiatry's videoconference platform and processes are HIPAA compliant.
The practitioner must be licensed in the state where the client is physically located and receiving services. For instance, if the patient is in Texas, the doctor must be licensed in Texas even if he/she is working in California. e-Psychiatry can provide practitioners licensed in all states.
Medicare, Medicaid and most commercial payers all pay for telepsychiatry services.
Either the Client organization or e-Psychiatry will provide APRN coverage through a contracted psychiatrist.
Yes:
If your organization is new to telepsychiatry, full implementation typically takes about a week to select providers, and 2 hours to set up your software on your PC and try it out.
A remote telepsychiatry provider can do most anything that an in-person provider can. E-Psychiatry's telepsychiatry providers offer a full range of psychiatric services via televideo technology. This includes assessment, screening, diagnosis, treatment of consumers, provider consultations and determination of degree of disability in consumers. Telepsychiatry providers prescribe medication as necessary and conduct medication management on an ongoing basis.
In most instances, telepsychiatry is billed just like on-site services, while using a modifier (e.g., GT) to confirm the services were delivered telephonically. Telepsychiatry reimbursement is not universal among all payer sources, so we recommend that your billing department contact your primary payers to understand their reimbursement policies relative to telemedicine.