Indiana Telepsychiatry Services

The state of Indiana is experiencing a shortage of mental health clinicians, with 76 areas considered to be underserved for the mental health discipline alone; not including the areas underserved for primary care and other disciplines. While action has been taken to incentivize entering the behavioral health field, this, unfortunately, has been not enough to close the gap in care. Luckily, the state of Indiana and its community mental health care facilities have been receptive to the use of telepsychiatry.

Telepsychiatry is a care model in which a clinician provides mental health care remotely using HIPAA-compliant video conferencing technology. Telepsychiatry can be used to provide a range of services such as psychiatric evaluations, counseling, medication management, and consultation services in primary care.

Mental Health Statistics for Indiana

Mental Health America has ranked Indiana 26th overall for the prevalence of mental illness and access to care. An overall ranking 1-13 indicates a lower prevalence of mental illness and higher rates of access to care; while an overall ranking 39-51 indicates a higher prevalence of mental illness and lower rates of access to care. Indiana falls closer to the middle of the rankings; showing potential to lower it’s ranking with the right programming to increase the availability of services to those in need. According to the Indiana Council of Community Mental Health Centers Inc., an innovaTel partner; community mental health centers have played an essential role in Indiana’s decision to close state mental health institutions by allowing patients to continue to receive services in a community setting, which in turn saved the government of Indiana millions of dollars. With organizations such as these taking action to increase access to care through partnerships that increase resources, Indiana can continue to improve the health of its communities.

Indiana Telepsychiatry Laws and Regulations

If your facility is considering the addition of a telepsychiatry program, you’ve probably noticed that laws and regulations vary state by state. That’s why it’s important to understand the laws specific to Indiana in order to operate successfully. However, establishing a new telepsychiatry program can be challenging which is why many facilities have decided to partner with innovaTel to make the process easier.

Indiana Medicaid Reimbursement

Indiana Medicaid reimburses for some telehealth services and providers; however, it does not reimburse for store-and-forward services, just reimbursing for live video. Indiana Code will reimburse telemedicine services for the following types of facilities:

Federally qualified health centers
Rural Health Clinics
Community Mental Health Centers
Critical Access Hospitals
Providers determined by the office to be eligible when providing a covered telemedicine service

In addition to the specific types of the facilities, Indiana Medicaid will reimburse for the following psychiatric services:

Office or other outpatient visits
Psychotherapy
Psychiatric diagnostic interviews

Private Payer Laws in Indiana

Insurance policies for individuals and groups must provide coverage for telemedicine services with the same clinical criteria as services that would be covered if a patient is seen in-person. Additionally, telemedicine coverage cannot be subject to a limit, deductible or coinsurance that is less favorable to services provided in-person.

Benefits of Telepsychiatry in Indiana

Like many states in the midwest, Indiana is largely made up of rural communities. This often poses a challenge when it comes to a patient seeking mental health care due to the national shortage of clinicians. innovatel Telepsychiatry was created as a result of our founders being faced with similar obstacles in their own communities; which is why our experts truly understand the needs of our partners and how telepsychiatry can help.

Eliminating Location Barriers

Removing the geographic barrier allows more patients to receive timely access to mental health care rather than having to wait until a clinician in their immediate location is available. In addition to geographic barriers for the patient, removing this barrier can be incredibly beneficial for the clinician as well. For example, a commute or practicing in an office can be difficult for working parents that require more flexibility to care for their children. Expanding the Reach of Clinicians

With the overall behavioral health workforce shortage, the supply of specialized clinicians is even more scarce. Specialized clinicians with sub-specialty training can often make a notable difference when treating complex cases or patients in crisis. Telepsychiatry has the ability to connect patients with specialized clinicians in order for their needs to be met quickly and effectively, regardless of the geographic location of the clinician. Without telepsychiatry, it could take weeks or months for a patient to have the ability to see a specialized psychiatrist.

Implementing Telepsychiatry in Indiana

We want your facility to feel confident in establishing a successful telepsychiatry program, which is why we offer a comprehensive onboarding and implementation process to all of our partners. Our telepsychiatry experts understand the challenges that Indiana clinics face, which is why we take the time necessary to provide onboarding and continued support throughout the duration of your contract.

We handle recruitment for you and only present you with top-notch, qualified clinicians to choose from. Once you have chosen a clinician, they are encouraged to become an active part of your clinical team just like one would if they were there in-person.