Question 1

Is special software and training needed?

Accepted Answer

When you contract with Orbit Health, we will provide your medical practice with all of the software and training necessary to implement our telepsychiatry services. The process is simple and requires very little setup.

Question 2

Is telepsychiatry subject to specific guidelines and laws?

Accepted Answer

Orbit Health psychiatric professionals strictly adhere to the federal and state guidelines that apply to their practices. Additionally, different states may implement and apply different guidelines specific to telepsychiatry.

For example, telepsychiatry practitioners must carefully follow laws that regulate prescriptions for controlled substances. This is done by a rule called the “Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008,” enforced by the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency).

The Ryan Haight Act requires a practitioner to conduct in-person medical evaluation before they can prescribe a controlled substance. Some exceptions apply for systems like federal healthcare providers at Indian Health System.

With the COVID-19 public health emergency, an in-person medical evaluation is not feasible. This is where telepsychiatry has a protective advantage for clinical staff and for patients. For instance, the DEA will allow prescriptions to be issued for audiovisual telemedicine communication.

Question 3

What is telepsychiatry?

Accepted Answer

Telepsychiatry is the delivery of psychiatric care remotely using technology, usually through videoconferencing platforms. It can involve mental health evaluations, therapy, medication management, and patient education. Telepsychiatry is the fastest growing sector of the telemedicine and is the future of mental health care.

Telepsychiatry is a form of telemedicine that generally refers to the delivery of psychiatric assessment and care via telecommunication, typically using videoconferencing software. The practice of telepsychiatry has been in development since well before the pandemic quarantines, as an effort to account for the millions of Americans who suffer from mental illnesses but are unable to get proper psychiatric care.

Telepsychiatry brings mental health care to individuals who are unable to see a medical professional in person for any of a variety of reasons, including the cost and availability of travel, incarceration, or contagion. Now, with shelter orders and quarantines keeping medical offices closed and people restricted to their homes, telepsychiatry provides a promising alternative to in-person psychiatric care.

Question 4

What are the benefits of telepsychiatry?

Accepted Answer

In addition to the obvious benefit of being able to see a mental health professional while under quarantine, telepsychiatry offers many additional advantages to traditional mental health care. Telepsychiatry can be much more economically feasible for many individuals who are unable to afford mental health care. Seeing a doctor from the comfort of your home eliminates the need to deal with travel, lost work hours, childcare, and other expenses that may arise from the need to travel to a specific location. It can also lead to lower co-pays by reducing overhead costs for mental healthcare providers.

Telepsychiatry also brings mental health care to regions that are currently under-served, such as rural areas. Not every locale has licensed, available mental healthcare professionals, and telepsychiatry allows qualified professionals to treat patients anywhere they can find an internet connection.

Moreover, telepsychiatry can help to escape some of the stigma associated with mental health care. Patients do not need to drive to a hospital or medical office and sit in a waiting room with strangers while at their most vulnerable. Instead, patients can simply log on and connect directly with their mental healthcare professionals.

If you are an administrator of a health system or a healthcare provider in need of a way to deliver mental health services, reach out to Orbit Health to discuss how telepsychiatry can expand your options for healthcare delivery and meet the needs of patients in today’s challenging environment.

Question 5

What services does Orbit Health offer?

Accepted Answer

Orbit Health offers all of the key psychiatric services to all 50 states.

Weekday, weekend, on-call, overnight, flexible, subspecialty care, consultation, remote medical director.

Community outpatient & inpatient services: Orbit Health provides telepsychiatrists to your ED via high quality videoconferencing technology. To the patient, this is no different than having an onsite psychiatrist. The doctor reviews the medical record, meets with the patient, and submits the clinical documentation directly into your electronic medical record. Read More
Addiction Treatment Centers: Telepsychiatrists are made available to clinics and residential treatment programs. Face-to-face appointments with patients happen virtually, and will look and feel almost identical to in-person appointments. The telepsychiatrists are also available to consult with other members of the treatment team via videoconference. Read More
Emergency Departments & Crisis Centers: Orbit Health provides telepsychiatrists to your ED via high quality videoconferencing technology. To the patient, this is no different than having an onsite psychiatrist. The doctor reviews the medical record, meets with the patient, and submits the clinical documentation directly into your electronic medical record. Read More
Skilled Nursing Facilities & Assisted Living: Orbit Health provides telepsychiatrists at the patient’s bedside via high quality videoconferencing technology. From the patient’s perspective, there is little difference between an appointment with an onsite psychiatrist and that of a telepsychiatrist. The doctor reviews the medical record, meets with the patient, and submits the clinical documentation directly into the electronic medical record. Read More
Forensic Telepsychiatry Services: In many cases, forensic evaluations and testimony can be accomplished remotely, via videoconferencing. Forensic telepsychiatry makes sense, and it saves time and money. Attorneys and judges are increasingly accepting the concept of forensic telepsychiatry as a convenient and effective way to utilize expert testimony. Read More

Is special software and training needed?

Is telepsychiatry subject to specific guidelines and laws?

What is telepsychiatry?

What are the benefits of telepsychiatry?

What services does Orbit Health offer?

Need telepsychiatry for your organization?

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