General
What is Telepsychiatry?
Through the mobile app, you can see a psychiatric provider face-to-face from the privacy and comfort of your own home to address common behavioral health challenges. Psychiatrists are different than therapists in that they have the ability to prescribe medications for the treatment of diagnosed mental disorders.
What is the difference between a therapist and psychiatrist?
A patient would see a psychiatrist for medication management and a psychologist for talk therapy. Sometimes the best form of treatment is a combination of both talk therapy and medication management. Psychiatrists and therapists are each able to evaluate a person to determine whether one or both treatment approaches are necessary, and can make recommendations based on their assessment.
Why would I see a psychiatrist online?
One in four Americans is affected by emotional distress at some time in life, but only one in eight seeks care. From chronic concerns such as depression and anxiety, to recent stress caused by events such as grief, divorce, parenthood, or other major life changes, online psychiatry allows for reliable and convenient visits with licensed, highly trained psychiatric providers.
Reasons to see an online psychiatrist include:
- You need a psychiatric medication or more than one psychiatric medication
- You have one or more mental disorder diagnosis
- You feel that you aren't getting better under the care of a general practitioner
- You are experiencing complex side effects to your current medications and would like a second opinion
- You want to change your psychiatric medication
- You have questions about your doctor's treatment plan and want a second opinion
Common conditions addressed online:
- Anxiety
- Depression (Major Depressive Disorder, Postpartum Depression)
- Bipolar Disorder
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Attention deficit disorder (ADD/ADHD)
What is an online psychiatry session like?
An online psychiatry session is essentially the same as an office visit but more convenient since you are seen from a location of your choosing, eliminating the need for travel. Prior to the visit you will be asked about your current emotional symptoms, potential factors contributing to these symptoms, and the change in any symptoms compared to the last visit. Using all this information your provider will come up with a thorough assessment and treatment plan. This will be an ongoing conversation and, as they get to know you better over time, the plan can change as your needs change.
What is the advantage of using TelepsychHealth compared to a larger insurance company?
We incorporate a more personalized approach, with better continuity of care, as you will be paired with a clinician who will continue working in this field. With some insurance companies you might be paired with a different provider at each subsequent visit. Also, it is less likely to have a reliable response time from those clinicians since these messages will typically be routed to a support staff member first prior to going to the physician. In your interactions with insurance companies you will also interact with a nurse, manager, and billing administrators. In our clinic you will work directly with your clinician.
Appointments & Access
Will I be charged more if I talk to a psychiatrist on weekends, holidays or at night?
No. The cost is the same no matter when you talk with a psychiatrist.
What if I don't have insurance?
You can pay out of pocket at flat, published rates: an initial psychiatric evaluation is $225 with a psychiatric NP or PA ($450 with our psychiatrist, who is taking a limited number of new patients), follow-ups are $150 ($225 with the psychiatrist), and individual therapy sessions (Illinois, Texas and Florida only) start at $150 — group therapy is $45 per session for adults located in Texas or Florida. These rates reflect an 80% discount for payment at the time of service. See the full breakdown on our self-pay rates page. Every self-pay patient receives a written Good Faith Estimate before care starts, and we can provide superbills for out-of-network reimbursement.
Do I need to schedule an appointment for telepsychiatry?
Yes. Complete the secure appointment request form, then log into the patient portal to schedule an appointment.
Can my child see a psychiatrist?
At this point in time we are only seeing patients age 18 and up. Check back in the future, as we plan on offering treatment for children and adolescents.
Can I see a psychiatrist online if I am traveling or in another state?
You need to be physically located in one of the 10 states we serve (Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York or Texas) during each visit, and your provider must be licensed or registered there; where you live doesn't matter. Before each visit we confirm where you are, in case of an emergency.
Can I see a psychiatrist if I am traveling outside of the United States?
Please check our main webpage for our current states of operation.
Privacy & Security
Is my online psychiatry visit private and secure?
Yes, we feel it is of utmost importance to maintain patient privacy and keep information secure. The technology we use is designed to be a private, secure, HIPAA-compliant tool that allows you to safely and confidentially consult with a psychiatrist online.
Collaborative Care
What is Collaborative Care Psychiatry?
Collaborative Care Psychiatry is when our psychiatric team cares for you in coordination and partnership with your primary care provider. Another term for this is Integrated Care.
Why do we recommend collaborative psychiatry?
Because doing so provides you with the highest quality care and most improves your overall health. Other important reasons to receive psychiatric care this way are safety, wellness, and efficiency.
Why is collaborative psychiatry safer for me?
In this model, there is more responsible oversight of controlled substance prescriptions, which is important due to their potential for addiction and the risks of combining controlled substances with other medications. Controlled substances being prescribed by more than one provider is a common occurrence, but can easily be avoided by us collaborating with your primary care provider. When appropriate, we will provide our recommendations to them and request that they prescribe you these types of medications in order to help avoid duplication of prescriptions, excessive use of the medications, and medication conflicts.
What is your psychiatric provider's role in collaborative care?
Your psychiatric provider (a psychiatric PA or nurse practitioner, on a team led by our board-certified psychiatrist) will perform the initial psychiatric evaluation and follow-up visits with you, make a diagnosis and revise it as necessary over time, and prescribe you the psychiatric medications needed to get you well. With your permission, after each visit they will send a copy of the visit note to your primary care provider so they know what medications have been prescribed for you. Whether your provider can prescribe a controlled substance directly depends on the state you're in (see "What kind of medication can be prescribed?" below); where they can't, they can recommend in their note that your primary care provider prescribe it. Other things your provider may recommend to your primary care provider are to order any lab tests, diagnostic studies, or specialist referrals that your provider may feel are important in managing your condition.
Will my primary care provider be notified about my online psychiatry visit?
You can choose to share the session notes with your primary care provider. You will be asked if you want a copy of your after-visit summary to be shared with your primary care provider. If you choose to share your after-visit summary, we will electronically transmit it. You can also print the notes and save them for your own file or share with other healthcare professionals yourself. You may also decide not to share this information. The choice is yours.
Medications
What kind of medication can be prescribed?
All standard psychiatric medications can be prescribed by your online provider. Whether a controlled substance (such as a benzodiazepine or an ADHD stimulant) can be prescribed depends on the state you're located in: in California, Illinois, and Florida, our providers can prescribe them directly through telehealth when clinically appropriate. In our other states, it may first require an in-person visit, or your provider can coordinate with your primary care physician to prescribe it based on their recommendation.
What are controlled substance medications?
Certain medications with a potential for misuse or dependence are classified as "controlled." How they can be prescribed via telehealth is governed by federal and state rules that vary by state, so whether an in-person visit is required depends on where you're located. Your provider will let you know what applies to you.
Examples include:
- Benzodiazepines – used for anxiety, panic, sleep disorders, tremors, and seizures – include medications such as Xanax, Ativan, Restoril, Valium, Klonopin, and Librium
- Hypnotics – used for insomnia – include medications such as Ambien, Ambien CR, Lunesta, and Sonata
- Stimulants – used for ADD/ADHD, fatigue, depression, cognitive issues, and narcolepsy – include medications such as Dextroamphetamine, Adderall, Vyvanse, Dexedrine, Methylphenidate, Ritalin, Concerta, Focalin, Provigil, and Nuvigil
- Opioids – used for pain, and will not generally be recommended by psychiatrists
How might I get controlled medications from my primary care provider?
Once your primary care provider has received the visit note from your psychiatric provider recommending these medications be prescribed for you, you can call your primary care provider's office and see if they will call those medications into your pharmacy for you to pick up. Your primary care provider may want you to schedule and come in for a visit with them first before they will prescribe these medications in some cases. In other cases, you may find that your primary care provider does not want to work collaboratively and does not agree to help you in this way. Should this be the case, one option is to consider finding a primary care provider who believes in collaborative care, wants to see that you get the help you need, and is willing to be part of this safe and thoughtful process.