Providing Integrated Care Through Telepsychiatry

innovaTel Telepsychiatry’s mission is to extend the reach of psychiatric care by making it more accessible in under-served areas and providing support where necessary. Telepsychiatry compliments primary care by bridging the gap between physical and mental health care.

What is Integrated Care?

Integrated Care is the combination of general practice and mental health care during an office visit, typically in a primary care setting. While there are many ways to combine these two forms of care, we feel that telepsychiatry is a viable solution for providing comprehensive care to patients in need.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, primary care facilities, like a general practitioner’s office, provide approximately 50% of all mental health care for common behavioral health disorders. There are many situations in which integrated care is helpful in managing a patient’s health due to the physical effects mental health disorders can have on the body such as substance abuse and anxiety disorders.

Why is Integrated Care Necessary?

We believe that it is essential for primary care physicians to be informed about their patient’s mental health treatment in order to make informed decisions about their physical health as well as prescription medication. By making it easier for primary medical care providers and mental health professionals to collaborate, they are then able to effectively manage and diagnose behavioral health conditions. Primary care is often the first line of care that patients receive, and by offering services that empower the primary care physicians to extend further mental health care treatment, these providers can work to develop a more comprehensive treatment plan for their patients.

Telepsychiatry’s Role in Integrated Care

innovaTel Telepsychiatry uses a collaborative consultation model to encourages the integration of behavioral health into primary care. Doing this via telepsychiatry allows for a more efficient way to address the shortage of behavioral health care by increasing the number of patients that can be treated. We do however understand that this integration has its own nuances that may call for different approaches, which is why we offer a variety of services including:

• “Curbside” consultation – For this method, the innovaTel psychiatrist meets with the primary care provider to review individual cases. This allows the two parties to have more clarity on diagnosis in order to make comprehensive treatment and medication recommendations.
• Medication Management – For this service, the innovaTel physician may choose to independently work with the patient for a limited number of sessions after an evaluation; prior to referring the patient back their primary care provider to continue the medication regimen.
• Psychiatric Evaluation – Some patient cases may require a full evaluation prior to treatment. Our psychiatrist would then complete a thorough psychiatric evaluation, following up with treatment recommendations for the primary care provider.

If you’re interested in learning more about the services we provide via outpatient facilities, visit our services page or contact us for more information about how your primary care facility can partner with innovaTel for more inclusive care.