Telepsychiatry Companies & Services in Vermont

Despite having the country’s largest percentage of residents living in a rural area, Vermont is far ahead of most of the country when it comes to managing mental health care. Much of this can be attributed to Vermont’s long-term commitment to improving the quality of health care as well as the high access to care it provides its residents. In states like Vermont, access to care can go a step further to better serve patients experiencing mental illness with the use of telepsychiatry. At innovaTel, we believe that telepsychiatry is the answer to closing gaps in mental health care and addressing the clinician shortage. By expanding access to care through telepsychiatry, Vermont can continue to work towards its goals for ensuring that mental health care is available for all who need it.

Mental Health Statistics for Vermont

Mental Health America ranks Vermont 3rd overall for a high level of access to care and a lower prevalence of mental illness. An overall ranking 1-13 indicates a lower prevalence of mental illness and higher rates of access to care. Rankings 39-51 indicate a higher overall prevalence of mental illness and lower rates of access to care. Due to 61% of Vermont’s population living in rural areas, the state has likely had to adapt to this reality to provide proper access to care for all residents.

However, there is still room to increase access to timely mental health care by increasing the number of available clinicians. In a project conducted at the University of Vermont in 2018 that assessed barriers to mental health treatment, one surveyed MSW stated that a major barrier for patients is availability; providing the example that a family psychiatry’s wait time for an appointment typically takes 3-6 months.

Vermont State Laws & Telepsychiatry Regulations

Understanding how to operate within your state’s laws and regulations for Medicaid and private insurance reimbursement as well as understanding any parity laws that may exist are important aspects of establishing a successful telepsychiatry program at your facility.

Vermont Medicaid Reimbursement

Vermont Medicaid Health insurance plans are required to provide coverage for health care services delivered via telemedicine/live video by a health care provider to the same extent that the plan would cover the services if they were provided through in-person consultation.

Vermont Medicaid defines telemedicine as the delivery of health care services such as diagnosis, consultation, or treatment through the use of live interactive audio and video over a secure connection that complies with the requirements of HIPAA.

Vermont Private Payer & Parity Laws

Per Vermont law, health insurance plans must provide coverage for health care services delivered through telemedicine by a health care provider to the same extent that the plan would cover the services if they were provided through in-person. Legislation such as this makes telepsychiatry easier for clinicians to bill and helps patients feel at ease when trying a new way to receive care.

Benefits of Telepsychiatry

The use of telepsychiatry has benefitted communities across the United States by making mental health care more accessible through sustainably growing clinical teams; as well as increasing the reach of specialized clinicians by removing the barrier of distance.

Bring in Additional Clinicians

Bringing in additional resources can be a long and costly process when your care facility is limited to only clinicians practicing in-person. With telepsychiatry, the pool of talent is larger and clinicians can work from their location of choice while helping communities in need. In cases that require a clinician with a sub-specialty, care centers can bring in a specialized clinician much faster via telepsychiatry rather than waiting to find an available local clinician. According to an article in VermontBiz, Representative Lori Houghton (D-Essex Junction), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Health Care reported the bill on the floor said, “telehealth can help Vermonters gain access to healthcare, reduce the costs associated with healthcare visits and assist our struggling workforce.”

Shorter Wait Times

When using telepsychiatry at your facility you can eliminate the long wait times associated with a shortage of available clinicians, waiting for specialized clinicians, and the time it can take for clinicians to travel between facilities. Wait times are, unfortunately, a barrier to treatment that often deters patients from receiving treatment at all. When we provide our partner facilities with additional clinicians through telepsychiatry, wait times reduce and more individuals can receive treatment.

Implementing Telepsychiatry in Vermont

Growing your clinical staff can be easy when you partner with an experienced telepsychiatry company like innovaTel. innovaTel specializes in partnering with community mental health care centers to increase access to care in areas like Vermont. This is done by providing remote clinicians to choose from to join their clinical team.

innovaTel handles all recruitment, only presenting you with qualified clinicians to choose from. This partnership will help your organization navigate state laws, licensing, and compliance, making the implementation process easy and efficient for you. After the onboarding process, your care center will still have the support of a clinical liaison as well as on-going IT support.

Vermont Telepsychiatry Services from innovaTel

If your Vermont facility is ready to increase access to care in your community by launching a telepsychiatry program, we encourage you to set up an introductory call today with one of our telepsychiatry experts. In the meantime, to learn more about innovaTel and our service model, please check out our services page

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