Telepsychiatry
The rapidly evolving landscape of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic and related federal Public Health Emergency provided a unique opportunity for regulators, state medical boards, payors, and lawmakers alike to remove existing barriers to providing telepsychiatry to child and adolescent patients. Psychiatrists continue to rely on telehealth at a higher rate than any other physician specialty and it is imperative that telehealth remains a viable delivery model to increase access to mental health care.
Telepsychiatry is no longer a service delivery model used solely to reach underserved communities. It offers an alternative to families experiencing other barriers to care, such as work demands and school activities. Home-based services are especially helpful to families and offer psychiatrists an ecologically valid perspective of their patients’ environment. Telepsychiatry services are offered to many community settings such as schools, mental health centers, primary care centers, correctional settings, and residential treatment facilities.
The benefits of telepsychiatry are not restricted to increasing access to care: Telepsychiatry also helps physicians diversify their practices and reach new populations in need of specialized care, such as autism or obsessive-compulsive disorder.
This section of AACAPs website provides aspiring and established psychiatrists relevant resources to practice via telehealth, including updates on the latest policies and regulatory guidelines, a pediatric telepsychiatry curriculum, and the Telepsychiatry Toolkit which includes various brief instructional videos.
Find the latest regulatory and policy updates, including updates to the Ryan Haight Act and DEA registration. Learn what the end of the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency means for telepsychiatry.
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Psychiatry relies on telehealth at a greater rate than any other physician specialty, and as such, telehealth remains a critical delivery modality to expand access to children’s mental health. AACAP continues to advocate that physicians should use their clinical judgement to determine when telehealth is appropriate, and that flexibilities granted during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, including prescribing of controlled substances via telehealth without an initial in-person exam, should become permanent.
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With the onset of COVID-19, the Federal Government has recommended that health care professionals utilize telemedicine technologies for patient visits and has provided flexibility to do so without fear of HIPAA violations.
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The Child and Adolescent Telepsychiatry Toolkit represents a collaboration between AACAP and the American Psychiatric Association (APA) that optimizes resources, efficiency, and visibility for those interested in incorporating telepsychiatry into their practice.
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The AACAP Telepsychiatry Committee in collaboration with Sandra DeJong, MD, recipient of an American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) Faculty Innovation in Education Award, has developed an open-access curriculum in Pediatric Telepsychiatry for use in training programs, faculty development, and continuing medical education. The curriculum can be used in whole or part and tailored to the needs of the learner.
We request that materials used in teaching are attributed appropriately. Feedback is welcome! Please contact Sandra DeJong, MD, MSc at sdejong@cha.harvard.edu or Shabana Khan, MD at shabana.khan@nyulangone.org
Also check out the Telepsychiatry Toolkit video of Dr. DeJong and Dr. Khan discussing the development and proper use of the Pediatric Telepsychiatry Curriculum.
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The AACAP Committee on Telepsychiatry and Committee on Quality Issues present procedures for conducting telepsychiatry services and optimizing the clinical experience.
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Useful websites providing practical information regarding telemental health practice, including information on reimbursement for telepsychiatry services.
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The AACAP Committee on Child and Adolescent Telepsychiatry was originally appointed in 2001 by Marilyn Benoit MD, past AACAP President. The Committee’s charge was to develop member resources to facilitate the use of telepsychiatry to deliver needed services to under-served youth. With the rapid adoption of telepsychiatry across the nation, the AACAP Telepsychiatry Committee has become the leading resource for identifying the evidence-based, clinically sound, and ethical practice of telepsychiatry with children and adolescents.
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