Primary Care Doctors Can Partner with Telepsychiatrists for Mental Healthcare

As telepsychiatry continues to expand across healthcare settings, many primary care providers (PCPs) are seizing the opportunity to meet their patients’ behavioral health needs. With 90 million Americans living in mental health shortage areas, a PCP is often their only connection to the healthcare system. 

As the primary resource for children and adolescents on Medicaid experiencing a mental health crisis, The Center for Youth & Family Solutions (CYFS) in Bloomington, Illinois, provides critical support to some of the area’s most vulnerable families. For the nonprofit agency, however, finding a financially sustainable way to connect children with high-quality mental health care was an ongoing challenge. 

There’s nothing cookie-cutter about telemental health care. Just as each patient’s needs are unique, so are each facility’s needs for implementing an effective program. Beyond finding the right clinician, telepsychiatry success requires technology and processes best suited to your facility’s particular structure and goals. Having a partner committed to meeting the needs of your organization can make all the difference.

Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach to technology, a partner who provides customized tools, training and support can help:

• Maximize billings by avoiding technical problems that cut into patient sessions
• Improve operational efficiency and free up facility staff for other high-value tasks
• Turn psychiatrists into “tele”-psychiatrists and ensure satisfaction among staff, clinicians and patients alike

With nearly 1,400 facilities across the country, community health centers play a crucial role in bringing affordable care to more than 28 million people across urban, suburban and rural communities. As a main source of healthcare for their patients, these centers offer a broad spectrum of services, ranging from preventive medical and dental care to advanced treatment for serious physical and behavioral health conditions.

By improving access to timely, holistic care, community clinics can help to lower overall healthcare costs by reducing costly hospitalizations. Since these facilities depend on funding from Medicaid and various federal grants, however, delivering cost-effective, high-quality care is often a difficult balancing act. This challenge is especially apparent in behavioral healthcare, where recruiting and retaining on-site clinicians can be difficult and cost prohibitive. As part of our ongoing series on telepsychiatry for various healthcare sectors, here’s how telemental health is helping community clinics meet the needs of their patients in a financially sustainable way.

Access to quality mental health care is a persistent problem across America. Research shows that one out of every five U.S. adults experiences mental illness, yet less than half receive treatment. One major culprit is the uneven distribution of mental health providers, which leaves many people in rural areas as well as urban centers without access to care.

In response, healthcare organizations are embracing telemental health services to provide care to more patients while also gaining operational efficiencies. As awareness and the adoption of telemental health grow, facilities across the country are continuing to refine their programs to support long-term success. Focusing on these four key areas can help facilities deliver telepsychiatry services that meet both patient and organizational needs for years to come.

We are proud that several members of the Regroup team, including Hossam M. Mahmoud, M.D., M.P.H., Omar Elhaj, M.D., and Naveen Kathuria, J.D., will contribute to this year’s conference theme, Revitalize Psychiatry: Disrupt, Include, Engage & Innovate, by presenting on four important areas in the field of psychiatry. Join them during the following times to learn about telepsychiatry, LGBT mental health, and refugee mental health and healthcare advocacy.

Telepsychiatry has experienced enormous growth in recent years as healthcare organizations, clinicians and regulators recognize its tremendous potential to increase access to mental health care. As demand for telepsychiatry surges, however, telepsychiatry-related legislation is also on the rise.

Federal and state laws for virtual psychiatry are constantly changing and laws can vary widely from state to state, so it’s essential for organizations to keep up with the latest regulations. Here’s a closer look at how the field is evolving and how organizations can stay ahead on compliance.

On April 2nd, Dr. Hossam Mahmoud, Medical Director, Naveen Kathuria, SVP of Partnerships and Compliance and Kelly Jones, VP of Partnerships participated in a panel discussing Regulatory Frameworks of Prescribing Controlled Substances.

As healthcare facilities across the country work to meet the behavioral health needs of their communities, many are turning to external partners to help them deliver psychiatric care virtually. If your own facility is considering enlisting outside help to implement a telepsychiatry program, selecting the right partner is essential. The best telepsychiatry companies connect your organization with specialized clinicians, ensure a holistic care approach, and advise on best practices to continuously improve your program over time.

Whether facilities are rolling out a telepsychiatry program for the first time or evaluating a new partnership, here are five key questions to consider when choosing a telepsychiatry partner.

Though telepsychiatry isn't a new practice, telepsychiatry programs have surged in recent years among organizations seeking to improve access to mental health. And as the field grows rapidly, telepsychiatry laws are also changing to help streamline implementation while ensuring quality care. For healthcare organizations, staying on top of the latest privacy, reimbursement and other relevant regulations is an absolute necessity.

In this edition of Ask Regroup, Director of Compliance Geoffrey Dacanay discusses why compliance is a key component of Regroup’s client partnerships, how Regroup guides healthcare organizations on compliance issues, and the biggest legal and regulatory developments for 2019 and beyond.