10 Signs It’s Time to Expand Your Telepsychiatry Program

The demand for telehealth continues to grow, and if you’re an organization utilizing a virtual behavioral health solution like telepsychiatry, you understand the value of this platform first-hand. By the numbers, 96% of behavioral health providers think telehealth has proven its worth as a therapeutic tool during the pandemic, and 59% of patients say they would use telehealth for mental healthcare.

It’s clear patients and providers alike are reaping the benefits of telehealth for mental health. However, it can be difficult to determine when you should expand your telepsychiatry program.

In our experience at Iris Telehealth, we’ve seen more than 90% of our partnerships grow within the first year. But, how do you know if expansion is the right choice for your organization? Keep reading to learn the 10 signs it’s time to expand your telepsychiatry program.

1. You have an extensive waiting list for behavioral health patients

Telepsychiatry helps organizations improve patient wait times. However, if your practice continues to grow, or you’re a new CCBHC working to meet an influx of patient needs, you may experience waitlists as you did before investing in telepsychiatry. Our partners have found that the simplest solution in this situation is to continue expanding their already-existing telepsychiatry department rather than hiring an on-site psychiatrist, which could take ample time to find the right match.

At Iris, we help organizations through this process, using an approach we call “The Iris Match.” The Iris Match is our promise to our partners that we will ensure their provider will meet their organization’s needs, culture, and values. By the end of our match process, our partner organizations have a provider who will not only fill their care gaps, but who their care team and patients love.

2. Your existing psychiatrists are overwhelmed by their patient load

Part of the reason you may have started a telepsychiatry program was to lighten the workload for your on-site providers, but due to high demand, you may need more help. This growing pain might mean it’s time to increase the hours of operation for your telepsychiatry program so your on-site staff can function without feeling overwhelmed. Many partners have found that telepsychiatry works as an excellent supplementary staffing model when used correctly.

3. Your care team and patients are responding well to telepsychiatry, and outcomes are improving

If your organization was hesitant about telepsychiatry at first – you’re not alone. Upfront, we often hear organizations say they’re concerned their patients won’t like the platform. However, after working with Iris, this concern is quickly eliminated. Technology is now a significant part of our daily lives, and patients are typically comfortable using telehealth for mental health care.

Additionally, telepsychiatry providers integrate well into organizations and create valuable relationships with the on-site teams and patients. Due to this extra help and seamless integration, the desire for virtual visits and care typically increases. If this experience resonates with your organization, growing your telepsychiatry program can help lead to happier patients and better outcomes.

4. You need a specialized provider

If you started your telepsychiatry program with a more general provider to help cover basic patient needs, you may soon realize you need specialty care as well. Whether that’s finding a Spanish-speaking provider, a child psychiatrist, or even a geriatric psychiatrist – telepsychiatry has you covered. Thankfully, this platform has an expansive reach and can connect organizations with providers from all over the country.

Additionally, at Iris, our rigorous vetting process ensures that all our behavioral health providers are top quality and have a track record of providing exceptional care. We also have several provider types to help meet an organization’s needs. Whether you’re looking to work with a psychiatrist, PMHNP, or an LCSW, we can help recommend and match you with the right provider for your needs.

5. Your number of referrals for new patients is increasing

When an organization implements a telepsychiatry program, they’re able to meet the mental health needs of more patients. While this success is positive, it can increase referrals and make it difficult to meet demand. If you’re familiar with this challenge, it might be an excellent time to consider expanding your telepsychiatry department.

6. You are acquiring more patient rooms or space in your building

Are you adding to your current facility or gaining access to more space to help with your growing patient population? If this is the case, you are in a great position to plan and begin expanding your telepsychiatry department. That way, once you gain access to your new space, you are ready to fill it.

7. Your no-show rate is decreasing

Telepsychiatry increases patient access to high-quality care. Because of this increased access and convenience, you may see no-show rates decrease. With lower no-show rates, your providers may find themselves with increasingly full schedules. To meet demand and help your providers continue providing excellent care, you might consider increasing your telepsychiatry program’s hours.

8. You realize your telepsychiatry provider is essential to your team

At Iris, we only extend a formal offer to 6% of clinical candidates who apply to work with us. That means we know we’re getting the best of the best. One of the reasons our partnerships have such longevity is the quality of care our providers facilitate. While organizations may have some initial concerns about provider integration, they are pleasantly surprised to find that their telepsychiatry provider quickly becomes an essential part of the team.

If this is the case for you, maybe it’s time to consider other telemental health best practices, like expanding your provider’s hours from 16 to 30 or even exploring bringing on another telepsychiatry provider.

9. You still can’t find the right on-site psychiatrist

If you’re struggling to find an on-site provider for your organization, you’re not alone. Due to the provider shortage, finding help is a typical challenge. This inability to find providers is one of the primary reasons telepsychiatry has grown in popularity. If you’ve experienced great success with your telepsychiatry provider, it could be a good time to invest in bringing another psychiatrist, LCSW or PMHNP onto the team.

10. You realize that telepsychiatry is a sustainable, long-term solution

Telepsychiatry is the future of mental healthcare and serves as a sustainable, long-term solution for your organization. If you’re ready to make telepsychiatry your one-stop shop for all things mental healthcare, consider expanding your program.

What does it look like to expand your telepsychiatry program?

Growing your telepsychiatry solution doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, most organizations have taken care of the hard part by making the initial investment, figuring out technology, creating workflows, and training providers. That said, growing your telepsychiatry program can be as simple as adding a couple days of coverage to your program or reaching out to your telepsychiatry organization to see if they can help you find another provider and implement telepsychiatry best practices. Regardless of your needs, expanding a current telepsychiatry program can set you and your organization up for success.

About Iris Telehealth

At Iris, we work with you to create a long-term placement that facilitates continuity of care for your patients and care team. Our rigorous vetting process ensures that all our behavioral health providers are top quality and have a track record of providing exceptional care to communities like yours.

If you would like to talk more about how we can help your organization secure a long-term provider fit, contact us today.

Why Choosing a Job That Aligns With Your Values Is So Important

As a mental health professional, you understand that working somewhere that aligns with your values is essential. The mental health field comes with unique frustrations that can make doing what you love challenging. That’s why working somewhere with a supportive environment is critical for providers. You need work-life balance, flexible hours, and time for self-care to recharge. However, finding an organization that prioritizes these things isn’t always easy.

That’s where telehealth comes in. Telehealth sets the stage for meaningful work in a low-stress setting that helps you take care of what’s most important – you. In this blog, we’ll discuss the benefits of virtual care, how to find a people-focused telehealth organization that meets your values, and the importance of job matching.

The benefits of practicing behavioral health virtually

According to a report by Medscape, 24% of mental health professionals have changed their work settings to try and alleviate burnout. For some providers, this change may mean switching to telehealth. Practicing mental health virtually comes with many benefits, including:

  • Flexibility: Flexibility is an essential piece of what makes virtual care a game-changer for providers. Not only does it allow them to work from wherever they want in the country, but it also frees up their schedules. With less time spent commuting, they can dedicate more time to their hobbies, spend more time with their friends and families, and prioritize self-care.
  • Team-based approach: Even though telehealth providers aren’t on-site, they can still experience the same benefits of a team-based approach. For example, on-site teams can assist patients and help reassure them about the telehealth process. Some providers even have meetings with their on-site teams where they can bounce ideas off each other and connect.
  • Low-stress environments: As a provider dealing with potentially high-stress settings, finding a low-stress job may feel impossible. With the computer screen as a barrier, telehealth can help providers manage compassion fatigue. Providers have an opportunity to step away after a stressful moment when they need to, take a breath, and ultimately experience a better work-life balance.

Among these benefits, our providers at Iris Telehealth have cited more control over hours and better work-life balance as reasons they chose to be telepsychiatry providers. Additionally, they said communication, staff connection, and clinical support were why they decided to work with Iris in particular.

When it comes to finding a job you love, you shouldn’t settle, and telehealth makes getting what you want and need possible.

Finding the right organizational fit

The value of working with an organization you connect with is essential. That said, things like culture, convenience, and getting licensed in particular states are all important things to keep in mind when looking for an organization that’s aligned with your values.

  • Culture: At Iris, one of our core values is putting people over all else, and our providers are no exception. That’s why we provide top-notch support to all our clinicians. Whether that means making tech support available 24/7 or providing them with an advocate by their side to help navigate tricky situations, we ensure they’re set up to succeed and have the space to focus on their patients.
  • Convenience: We value making things simple and easy for our providers. That means taking care of things like licensing and all the paperwork that comes with it. We take pride in creating a low-stress environment that lets our clinicians do what they love knowing we’ve got the rest covered.
  • Job matching: This component is a central tool to help ensure providers are matched with an organization that’s aligned with their values. At Iris, we call this process “The Iris Match.” We use this process to help providers narrow in on the perfect fit by identifying the criteria that makes up their ideal job. These criteria might include their preferred working schedule or values. Organizations have standards they’re looking to fulfill, too. At Iris, we take the criteria of both parties and fit the two that work best together. You can learn more about this process in our behavioral health provider’s guide to job matching.

When a provider finds the right fit, it can help provide stability for their patients and the organizations they serve.

Telehealth connects you with the right patient populations for you

As a behavioral health provider, you likely spent a lot of time and dedication trying to figure out the specific population you love and value working with. However, you may live somewhere else and are unable to connect with these patients. Telehealth solves this problem. One of the many great things about providing behavioral health virtually is that you can work from wherever you want and still work with the population you love.

Not only is this access great for you as a provider, but it’s also indispensable for patients who need and value your help. Telepsychiatry provides an extensive reach and offers a more significant opportunity to help more people. Especially those in communities you feel connected to. That’s why, we highly value providing licensing and credentialing services and matching providers with their preferred population. By simplifying a typically tricky process, providers can live where they want while still getting to work with their population and a patient can work with a provider who can best meet their specialty needs.

Whether you’re trying to find a way to work with your preferred population or looking for the flexibility that allows you to have more energy to live a life you love, telehealth can set the stage for a work environment that aligns with your values.

Where Iris Telehealth fits in

At Iris, we believe telepsychiatry is the future of mental healthcare. If you’d like to learn more about our services or you’d like to learn how you can find a job that aligns with your values, contact us today.

How You Can Increase Throughput in Your Emergency Department With Telepsychiatry

According to the CDC, approximately 146.5 million patients visit hospital emergency departments (EDs) in the United States each year. Among those seeking emergency care from EDs is a growing number of patients suffering from mental health crises. However, when it comes to addressing this high demand for psychiatric care, many health systems don’t know where to start. Fortunately, telepsychiatry can help.

The current state of telepsychiatry in the ED

So, why is it difficult to address mental health needs in the ED? The truth is, hospitals and health systems are overwhelmed, and addressing mental health needs in the emergency department can prove challenging for several reasons:

  • Increased need for specialty care: Hospitals have witnessed a 24% spike in mental health emergency department visits for kids aged 5 to 11 and a 31% increase for adolescents aged 12 to 17.
  • Lack of resources: When they don’t have adequate behavioral health support, some hospitals and health systems may work with locum tenens to help supplement gaps left by the ongoing provider shortage. However, locums often lack integration and don’t facilitate a long-term, team-based approach.
  • High costs: According to the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, mental and substance use disorder ED visits had service delivery costs of more than $5.6 billion, representing more than 7% of the $76.3 billion total in ED visit costs.
  • Patient return rate: In an analysis of ED visits for mental health and substance abuse, 14.2% of patients returned to the ED or hospital within 30 days.

If you’re seeing these problems day in and day out, you’re not alone.

Enter: Telepsychiatry services in the ED.

How can telepsychiatry help with ED throughput?

Telepsychiatry improves ED throughput to quickly provide patients with access to high-quality psychiatric care through a virtual visit. With telepsychiatry, patients no longer need to wait hours to receive treatment from an ED physician or an in-person consultation from a psychiatric provider, which drastically reduces their length of stay in the ED.

However, before officially launching your telepsychiatry program into your ED, make sure you’ve worked through any barriers or misconceptions around telepsychiatry within your organization.

Three common barriers to telepsychiatry in the ED

Telepsychiatry is growing in popularity. In fact, according to the APA, nearly nearly six in 10 would use telehealth services for mental healthcare.

However, despite the growing popularity, there is still hesitancy around implementing a virtual solution, whether its technology concerns, common misconceptions about telepsychiatry, or cultural considerations. Determining how to tackle these worries is essential to a successful implementation.

 

  1. Technology barriers
    The most common objection to implementing telepsychiatry into the ED is the fear of not knowing how to use the technology correctly, as well as a lack of fluency in technology. By partnering with a telepsychiatry vendor like Iris Telehealth, you’ll get a technology-neutral addition to your team that seamlessly integrates into your current systems and equipment you’re already using.
  2. Misconceptions about telepsychiatry
    A common misconception about telepsychiatry in the ED is that it isn’t as effective as in-person treatment. However, telepsychiatry can be just as effective as in-person treatment. When a patient is experiencing a mental health emergency, telepsychiatry can ensure they’re quickly assessed, diagnosed, and provided with a treatment plan.
  3. Changing ED culture
    Another tough objection is getting staff on board with telepsychiatry in the ED. Attending physicians and staff are used to providers being in close proximity to them. When EDs partner with Iris Telehealth, they’re organizations and providers are offered continual support and resources, no matter the time of day.

The biggest benefits for EDs working with a telepsychiatry vendor

When emergency departments partner with a telepsychiatry vendor like Iris Telehealth, they receive on-demand support and resources. Telepsych providers can assess a patient’s needs and manage their risk to ensure each patient receives proper treatment and is dispositioned quickly. Additionally, EDs can expect to see improved patient care.

Here are just a few benefits patients receive through telepsychiatry:

  • Improved access to specialty care that might not otherwise be available
  • Better outcomes due to integrated behavioral health and primary care
  • Reduction in delayed care
  • Reduction in transportation barriers, such as lack of transportation or the need for long drives
  • Increased feelings of safety, security, and privacy

Emergency departments that utilize telepsychiatry have access to psychiatrists around the clock. And when mental health patients have access to adequate psychiatric care, they leave healthier and happier.

How telepsychiatry transforms the ED

Telepsychiatry is making it possible for more people to get the care they need in a hospital setting without the long wait. As telehealth becomes the norm, organizations see the benefits by way of on-demand resources, cost savings, and additional expertise.

 

 

On-demand services: Telepsychiatry serves as a 24/7 resource for organizations and their patients. That means patients have access to high-quality providers who ensure they receive proper treatment.

Cost savings: This virtual solution helps hospitals meet their organizational and financial needs by helping them avoid unnecessary bed holds.

By implementing a telepsychiatry solution, your organization can help more people in the community, increase throughput in the ED, and release pressure on your providers and overall organization.

How Iris Telehealth can help

We ensure patients always receive the best care and treatment possible. When a patient comes through the emergency department seeking mental health services, it’s critical to make their experience as seamless as possible.

If you would like to learn more details about how our services can integrate into your ED, you can download our whitepaper today.

How to Provide Culturally Competent Care Through Telehealth

Culturally competent care effectively meets social and cultural needs by addressing issues like language barriers, low literacy rates, and lack of knowledge about racial and ethnic minority health. This approach to care can help providers and organizations improve health outcomes, increase the quality of care, and move closer to eliminating ethnic and racial health disparities.

Social determinants of health can create and exacerbate mental health conditions, hindering people’s ability to access the care they need. For example, one of the five categories of social determinants of health is access to quality care. Without cultural competency, quality care is hard to find for people who come from different backgrounds, especially when there are language or cultural barriers.

However, health care services that put patient values, beliefs, and behaviors first can help ensure your organization is delivering culturally competent care. Commitment to cultural competence begins by recognizing that healthcare is constantly evolving and patients deserve to have the care they need without fear of being misunderstood.

The importance of cultural competence

Currently, racial and ethnic minorities make up about a third of the U.S population. By 2055, they are expected to become the majority, according to Cigna. With an increasingly diverse population, the likelihood of people having limited English proficiency, less adherence to Western cultural norms, and more unique social and cultural needs might lead to larger healthcare disparities.

By practicing cultural competency and maintaining mutual respect and increased understanding between providers and patients, everyone benefits. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), incorporating culturally competent strategies can lead to better communication and experience, better information, and improved patient-provider matching.

Additionally, the Health Research & Educational Trust highlights three other benefits of cultural competence:

  • Business benefits: practicing cultural competence helps with the efficiency of care services, decreases barriers, increases overall the market share of an organization, and incorporates different perspectives.
  • Health benefits: implementing cultural competency can lead to collecting patient data and improving treatment, reducing medical errors, incorporating preventative care, and reducing health care disparities for various patient populations.
  • Social benefits: executing cultural competency also leads to cultivating mutual respect and understanding for both providers and patients, increasing overall trust, and promoting inclusion of all community members.

With the implementation of cultural competency, everyone involved can benefit greatly. While it is almost impossible to know everything about every culture, you can be one step closer to providing culturally competent care for your patients with the right approach.

How to provide culturally competent care through telehealth

It can be difficult for individuals living in rural areas to find a provider who can understand and engage with their culture. Issues like language barriers and lack of innate trust in receiving care from providers who are not part of their cultural group can pose an enormous challenge.

Telehealth gives access to patients looking for a provider who can better understand their culture. Regardless of where a patient lives, telehealth can connect them with a provider who can better relate to their experiences.

While cultural competency takes time and effort, with practice, your organization can provide care to your patients with their beliefs, culture, and values in mind.

Here are just a few ways providers can practice cultural competency through telehealth:

  1. Don’t make assumptions. When it comes to telehealth, not everyone knows how to use technology. So, being patient and adaptable can make a huge difference in offering competent care as a provider. Furthermore, mental health is stigmatized in many communities. Stigma often comes from a lack of understanding or fear, so it is important to be patient, not assume that everyone knows about mental illnesses, and be open to teaching.
  2. Have concise and thorough explanations. English is not everyone’s first language, and language accessibility is critical. By keeping answers simple and easy to understand, people can better understand their course of treatment. Long explanations can take away from adequately diagnosing or treating people. In some cases, providing professional interpreting services or hiring bilingual staff as medical interpreters can help to navigate complex conversations.
  3. Withhold judgments. Shared-decision making is standard in other cultures, like big decisions related to a family member’s health. Along with shared decision making, when a patient makes a choice about their health, try to respect it. When patients understand their options and course of action for their health and want to go another route that is aligned with their culture, respect is essential. In addition, many cultures may use alternative treatment instead of relying on Western medicine. By making an effort to understand a patient’s traditional health beliefs and practices, explaining their course of treatment can be more manageable.
  4. Accommodate and educate. Teach patients about techniques or technologies and find culturally accommodating alternatives when possible. For example, some people will not know how to use laptops or computers with ease. Teaching them and being patient can mitigate some discomfort. Always ask about their preference before accommodating.
  5. Be aware of cultural differences. Through telehealth, non-verbal communication can play a prominent role. Make sure that the use of gestures, eye contact, and facial expressions are appropriate and respectful within your patient’s culture. It’s okay to ask!

How organizations can accommodate

Providing culturally competent care for your patient population can become a reality by institutionalizing changes at your organization. Here are a few ways your organization can help your providers deliver culturally competent care and accommodate the needs of your patient populations:

  1. Be intentional about recruitment. Ideally, an organization’s staff should be at least as diverse and multicultural as your patient populations to help provide appropriate care. With a diverse team of providers, your practice will have a more comprehensive cultural knowledge base to pull from when it comes time to provide care.
  2. Collect REAL data. According to the AHA, organizations should collect race, ethnicity, and language preference (REAL) data. Collecting this data will help your organization identify and report disparities, increase diversity and minority workforce pipelines, and make cultural competency an institutional priority.
  3. Offer training and resources. Make sure you give your providers ample time and resources around culturally competent care. Remember to encourage your providers to take some time to develop skills and knowledge to effectively navigate an industry that works with people of many backgrounds.
  4. Assess and address. Your organization and providers will not become perfect at providing culturally competent care overnight. It’ll be vital to identify and address areas of underperformance on an ongoing basis through your organization’s REAL data and feedback from your patients and providers.

Resources for providers and looking towards the future

As a provider, learning about cultural competency can feel overwhelming, and knowing where to start might feel confusing. By taking steps to improve your cultural competency, you will be better equipped to serve the needs of a variety of patients from different backgrounds.
Here are a few resources and ways that can help you practice and advocate for cultural competence in the workplace:

  1. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Resources on Cultural Competence: SAMHSA has resources and online training for providing cultural competency for both organization leaders and providers.
  2. The Health Research and Educational Trust and the American Hospital Association (AHA): This guidebook has resources for healthcare organizations and leadership. It outlines multiple benefits of culturally competent care, next steps for hospitals and care systems, and how to provide effective staff education.
  3. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ): The AHRQ has their Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit on improving linguistic competency when delivering health care. The toolkit gives information about how to learn from patients, from other staff, and other sources like websites and courses. It also gives guidance on how to track your progress among your providers.
  4. Think Cultural Health: This website has resources, CME, and information for providers about culturally and linguistically appropriate care services. The website is sponsored by The Office of Minority Health (OMH) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Where Iris Telehealth can help

At Iris Telehealth, we work with other healthcare organizations around the nation to bring high-quality, specialized psychiatry services to people who need them the most. Contact us today to see if our telepsychiatry services can help your providers and organization provide culturally competent care for your patients.

Clinician Corner:
Meet Nicole Bradbury, LCSW

Iris clinicians are at the heart of what makes our organization such a special place to work. That’s why we’re turning the spotlight on the amazing work they’re doing every day. This month, we’re sitting down to talk with Nicole Bradbury.

Q: How did you find Iris and decide you wanted to be an Iris provider?

A: There were a few things that made me decide I wanted to be an Iris provider. First, because of COVID, I realized that I enjoyed working from home. Additionally, I had just moved to San Antonio, and the traffic can get pretty busy during rush hour. Because of that, I was really open to telehealth. I looked through the Iris values and saw that a lot of employee reviews were positive, and people noted things like “lots of support” and “good working environments.” Since working here, I’ve definitely seen that as well.

During the interview process, I worked with Erin Schepman, the Manager of Clinical Talent, and she made everything super nice and relaxing. Then once I was hired, they were able to get me matched to an organization pretty quickly.

Q: What does a typical day as an Iris Telehealth provider look like for you?

A: I am a clinician for an agency in Arizona. I primarily work with children and families with mental illness and occasionally some adults. My typical day can vary depending on what I have scheduled. I’m still waiting to get my license, so right now, I help the clinical director with organization and help support the other therapists while we’re waiting to get more kids on my caseload. Which is actually great because it lets me understand their system better.

Q: What do you love about being a telepsychiatry provider?

A: There are a lot of different benefits to telepsychiatry. For one, I love finding new ways to engage with the kids. I’ve found websites where I can interact with them virtually, like “Let’s play Uno and talk about feelings!” It’s fun to find new ways to explore engaging with the children, especially the younger ones.

It’s also nice that I can step outside with my dogs after a tough session, take a deep breath, and then come back in and prepare for the next session without seeing patients back to back. I can take five minutes and breathe. I think that’s a big benefit, especially because the burnout rates in the field can be so high. Telepsychiatry offers a lot of opportunities for self-care.

Q: How do you foster connection with patients virtually?

A: I try to find different ways to connect with my patients. For many kids, it’s just being there, listening. But, for the younger ones or those who don’t want to be in therapy, I try to find games for us to play, or I ask them what they like to do and what they like about it.

I think COVID has helped the kids get a lot more comfortable with technology – they can log into Zoom on their own quickly. But some kids are not ideal for telehealth because some of them are way too active to where they might need in-person or play therapy. However, a lot of the older kids engage really well.

Q: As a healthcare professional, how do you manage work-life balance?

A: One of the main things I learned from doing telehealth during COVID was having a space for work. I have a dedicated space for work, so when I step out of the room, away from my computer, I’m just focused on home and life.

Q: What are your biggest learnings from your time at Iris?

A: I feel like I’m constantly learning something new. For example, one thing I’ve learned is that in-person care and telehealth offer the same benefits. You can still build the same connection and rapport whether it’s telehealth or in-person. In my own experience, telehealth is just as effective as in-person, and I’m sure studies show that as well.

One thing I’m really appreciative of with Iris is that they placed me in an agency with an amazing supervisor. So, not only is there support from Iris, but there’s support from my supervisor at the agency I’m providing services to. So, it’s a great fit and I feel that I’m valued at both organizations. I’m very appreciative of that.

Q: What is the most rewarding part of your job?

A: One of the most rewarding parts of the job is seeing the progress my patients make and looking at how far they’ve come. You get to be with them on their journeys. It’s also great seeing parents learn and grow just as much as the kids.

There was one kid who gave me a small encouragement. They said, “I was really looking forward to this session!” I was like, “Really? You’re looking forward to therapy? Okay!” So sometimes, it’s those small moments that help during the more challenging sessions. It’s a great feeling to be there through the hard times and then see them rejoice when they get through the valleys.

Q: Why do you think telepsychiatry is important to the future of mental healthcare?

A: Telepsychiatry provides certain flexibility and helps reach those who may experience difficulty with access. For example, a lot of kids are busy after school. However, if they get home before their parents, they can hop on Zoom, so their parents don’t have to take off work and drive. Telepsychiatry is super beneficial, and it’s going to help parents and kids with time management.

Q: What do you love about working with Iris?

A: One of the things I love about working with Iris is the support. For example, Drew Sadler, the Clinician Operations Manager, has provided amazing support and the IT team is always ready to help. I also love knowing that there are opportunities to get funds for CEUs, so if there’s a certain training I want, I can take a class. Other pluses are office supplies, getting a desk, and getting a chair. Before I got here, I didn’t have those things, but Iris was there to help me get set up.

I’ve also really appreciated the help Iris has provided with licensing. Licensing has been a hassle and without Iris, I wouldn’t have made it. I don’t know that I would have known all the steps to take or if I would have been as proactive. I would have been lost without their help.

At Iris, we believe our providers should be respected, valued, and applauded for the work they do, and we couldn’t be more proud to say, “thank you” to our very own Nicole Bradbury. If you’d like to learn more about working for Iris Telehealth, contact us today.

How Telepsychiatry Makes Mental Health Care Accessible for All

Mental health care is inaccessible to many, whether it’s due to transportation barriers, economic opportunity, or obstacles related to race or stigma – getting treatment isn’t always easy.

For healthcare organizations, barriers like these highlight the importance of providing high-quality and accessible care to communities across the country. But, what does genuinely accessible care look like? Truly accessible care meets people where they are, with the right care, at the right time – without concern for location, schedule, or socioeconomic class.

Telepsychiatry meets this demand head-on, creating a bridge between people and the care gaps they encounter when seeking mental health care. Read on to learn more about specific barriers people are facing, how telepsychiatry solves these challenges, and how healthcare organizations can benefit from embracing a truly accessible behavioral health approach.

Addressing language barriers with telepsychiatry

For many patients, deciding to seek mental health treatment is a big decision, and many factors might deter them from getting that help.

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) cites several barriers to care for Hispanic and Latino populations in the U.S., including:

  • Language barriers
  • Lack of culturally tailored services
  • Lack of culturally competent mental professionals
  • Shortage of bilingual or linguistically trained mental health professionals

The APA also reports that only one in 20 Hispanics with a mental disorder receive mental health services from a specialist. For patients who speak another language, having a provider who understands their culture and language can help them feel less hesitant about seeking care. However, only 6% of mental health providers in the U.S. are Hispanic, and only 5.5% provide services in Spanish.

Thankfully, telepsychiatry can help bridge this gap. At Iris Telehealth, we draw from a large provider pool, and our patients can connect with providers outside of their geographic area who may speak their same language or have experience with their culture. This connection is highly beneficial to individuals who may not have a provider they can connect with locally.

However, if no providers are available, interpreters can also help patients communicate during their visit. Interpreters work for telepsychiatry the same way they would during an in-person visit. It just requires some organizational efforts on the clinical side and reassurance to the patient that the support is available. If the facility doesn’t have an in-person interpreter, they can join the virtual call. Whether a patient connects directly with a provider who speaks their language or works with an interpreter, telepsychiatry breaks down barriers to help them get the care they need and deserve.

Reaching people where they are with telepsychiatry

For people in rural areas, getting the mental health care they need can seem next to impossible. Rural Americans face several barriers, including the expense of taking time away from work, coordinating with their child’s school or daycare schedules, and the lack of mental health providers in their geographic region. And, even if there are providers close by, there’s typically an extensive waiting list to get care.

Along with these barriers, transportation is a real issue for people in these communities. In an American Hospital Association (AHA) report, 3.6 million people cannot access medical care due to a lack of transportation, and figuring out a way to help individuals get to and from their appointments is crucial to their health.

Despite these barriers, telepsychiatry can free up schedules, help with the expense of driving, and make it possible for someone in remote parts of the country to get the psychiatric care they need. Telepsychiatry serves as a creative avenue for support, allowing people to connect to a high-quality, specialty mental health provider from the privacy of their homes and enabling them to maintain their anonymity at a community level.

Telepsychiatry connects patients with specialty care

The COVID-19 pandemic has been tremendously difficult on families. From schools opening and closing to wearing masks to children losing caregivers – families have been through many changes. Through it all, people have been doing their best to find support.

Families, or anyone deciding to get help, may find themselves overwhelmed by the complicated system or the lack of available providers. Many patients will call a long list of providers to find out they’re calling the wrong type of provider once they have a conversation and realize they need a particular specialist, like a child psychiatrist.

Telepsychiatry helps healthcare organizations connect these patients with the right specialty providers. This level of access is incredibly beneficial to patients.

Overcoming technology barriers with telepsychiatry

Technology may be a barrier for some individuals who aren’t comfortable with virtual platforms. However, there are many steps organizations can take to help make technology more accessible to their patients, whatever the comfort level.

Here are a few steps providers can take to help increase patient comfort with technology:

  • Establish a rapport and provide education about what the experience will look like
  • Let patients know there is a backup plan if the technology fails
  • Reassure them that their appointment will not be lost if they’re disconnected
  • Remind the patient that they have support so they don’t feel overwhelmed

Taking these steps can help ensure technology doesn’t create a barrier or present itself as a barrier to seeking care.

By partnering with a telepsychiatry vendor that seamlessly integrates into your systems, patients in the community can access providers from across the country at their local clinic, regardless of what personal access they may have at home. Telepsychiatry creates an easy experience that meets people where they are with compassionate providers ready to provide support.

The importance of provider fit for healthcare organizations

With an increased rate of anxiety, depression, and substance use disorder in communities across the U.S., increasing accessibility to specialty care has never been more critical. Healthcare organizations understand this need well, whether they’ve experienced barriers around the provider shortage or have had difficulty finding the right telepsychiatry provider.

At Iris, we work hard to understand your organization’s needs and find the right provider match for your population. This job-matching approach helps organizations find a provider who will be with them for the long term and establish a relationship with the same level of engagement as if they were on the ground.  DOWNLOAD PDF

Where Iris Telehealth fits in

Iris Telehealth works with healthcare organizations across the country to bring high-quality, specialty psychiatry services to people who need them most. If you’re a healthcare organization looking to increase access in your community, Iris Telehealth can work with you to seamlessly integrate behavioral health services. Contact us today.

What to Ask When Selecting a Telepsychiatry Vendor

Delivering quality, sustainable behavioral health care should be a priority for any healthcare organization. However, this goal isn’t always attainable due to resource restraints or the current provider shortage. That’s where telepsychiatry steps in to help facilitate access to high-quality behavioral health care and extend existing behavioral health programs to healthcare organizations across the country.

While navigating the fast-growing and rapidly evolving world of telepsychiatry, finding a partner you trust is essential. The right partner should work with you to support the long-term well-being of both your organization and your patients.

But, how do you find the right fit? Read on to learn all the questions you should ask to ensure you find the most effective and patient-focused telepsychiatry partner for your organization.

General questions to ask a telepsychiatry vendor

With so much growth in the world of telehealth, this basic information has never been more critical in the vendor selection process. By asking the following questions, you can help narrow in on partners who can offer your patients high-quality, long-term care.

Questions to consider:

  • How many dedicated employees does the organization have on staff? If possible, ask if you can see an organizational chart broken down by department, person, and title.
  • How many clinicians do they currently have on staff? How many are W2 employees versus 1099 contractors?
  • Does the company have experience licensing providers through IMLC and ENLC?
  • How many psychiatrists have applied to their organization in the last year?
  • Can they provide 5-6 references? How long have they been working with their current partners?
  • How many of their partner organizations provide similar services to the one your organization offers?

These questions can help you determine which vendor can provide the most compassionate care your patients deserve. For example, you can learn a lot about care quality and provider access by asking how many employees a vendor currently has on staff or whether or not their providers are 1099 contractors or W2 employees. Gathering these insights is key to finding the right fit for your organization.

Telepsychiatry and the importance of job matching

Finding the right provider fit is key to your patients’ well-being and your organization’s success. By working with a telepsychiatry vendor that delivers job matching services, you can find a provider who meets your organization’s needs and fills in care gaps. However, not every telepsychiatry vendor can make successful, long-term matches. That’s why it’s important to know what questions to ask.

Questions to Consider:

  • Does the company have a rigorous provider vetting process?
  • What type of providers does the company have available? PMHNPs? LCSWs? Specialist providers like child psychiatrists or bilingual providers?
  • Does the company get to know your organization’s needs, culture, and values?
  • Will the telepsychiatry provider offer a meet and greet to ensure you and the provider are on the same page?

Getting the answer to these questions is essential for selecting a telepsychiatry vendor. At Iris, we believe job matching is a necessary piece of the puzzle. That’s why we created the Iris Match. We take pride in this approach, and we think it’s a crucial piece of the puzzle. When matching a provider with an organization, we work to ensure the match is mutually beneficial. We guarantee that by the end of our match process, your care team and your patients will love.

Telepsychiatry’s approach to quality control and assurance

Ensuring your patients get the high-quality mental health care they deserve is essential. But, how do you ensure that your potential partner can meet this requirement? One option is to review their recognized third-party accreditations and look into other fundamental aspects of their business model and priorities.

Questions to Consider:

  • Is the company Joint Commission accredited for behavioral health?
  • Does the company have experience meeting HEDIS measures or other quality benchmarks?
  • Is the company a medical group that’s clinician-led and clinically driven?

Joint Commission accreditation enables an organization to credential more quickly and offers assurance that you, as a healthcare organization, will receive high-quality services. At Iris Telehealth, we’re proud to be led by clinicians and healthcare experts and the only telepsychiatry company to receive Joint Commission accreditation for behavioral health.

Questions to ask about telepsychiatry implementation

Implementing telepsychiatry and successfully integrating the services into your organization’s workflow requires focused time, effort, and care about your practice, providers, and patients. Getting specifics on their approach is crucial to getting your service up and running successfully.

Questions to Consider:

  • Is the vendor technology agnostic? Can they seamlessly integrate within your existing platforms?
  • Does the vendor develop custom workflows?
  • Will the vendor’s providers use your existing EMR for notes and documentation?

At Iris, we provide best-in-class support that ensures your organization is set up for long-term success. We work within your existing systems and workflows to ensure a seamless transition for your team. Additionally, we take care of tasks like licensing and credentialing to help relieve the burden on your teams. By making integration as seamless as possible, we help set your organization and your patients up for success.

Where Iris Telehealth fits in

Iris Telehealth is dedicated to improving patient outcomes with exceptional behavioral health care while decreasing the burden on your care team. Contact us today if you’d like to learn more about our approach to job matching, our in-depth expertise, or our best-in-class support.

Clinician Corner:
Meet Dr. Mark Miceli, MD

Iris clinicians are at the heart of what makes our organization such a special place to work. That’s why we’re turning the spotlight on the amazing work they’re doing every day. This month, we’re sitting down to talk with Dr. Mark Miceli.

Q: How did you find Iris and decide you wanted to be an Iris provider?

A: Before I joined Iris, I was working at an inpatient hospital in New Jersey as the medical director of my unit and the interim chairperson of the division of psychiatry. I was doing a lot, and it was really hectic. I wasn’t happy at the job.

I was working with another clinician who told me I should look into Iris, and I ended up applying. I went through the interview process, and it went from there.

Q: What does a typical day as an Iris Telehealth provider look like for you?

A: I work for a health system in Minnesota. I’m credentialed at 10 or 12 different hospitals and partial hospital units across that health system and I fill in when they need people. That includes when people are on maternity leave, when organizations are in-between hiring a new psychiatrist, or if someone is taking an extended leave.

Q: What do you love about being a telepsychiatry provider?

A: In my previous job, I was in a little office with no windows and a cold air vent blowing on me – it wasn’t comfortable by any stretch of the imagination. With Iris, I love that I’m in my own environment. I love that I can work with people in different geographical areas. My patients are all in Minnesota, so I get to know the culture that exists there. There’s also a separation where I’m not going to run into patients at the grocery store.

Another thing I love is the flexibility to work from different places. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, my family and I were able to rent a beach house in Cape Cod. The beach house had Wi-Fi so that I could work there and my son could enjoy the outdoors and fresh air.

With inpatient, we usually see people early in the day, and then we do documentation. Once I see my patients, I can move my computer anywhere where there’s Wi-Fi. I can take a break to get my son and eat good, hot food at home instead of spending money at a restaurant. I also love that I don’t have to commute 45-minutes or an hour every day. There are a million great things.

Q: How do you foster connection with patients virtually?

A: In my home office, I have things behind me like a guitar or a yoga mat – having these things related to my interests in the background gives my patients and I something to talk about. Another thing I always do is look into the camera, smile, and try to make eye contact. I try to send them really good, positive energy over the internet.

One helpful thing is having the on-site staff really trust and work with me. They’re a major factor for inpatient care, and their extra help makes a significant difference. They help reassure the patient and let them know what I’m doing and that I care about them. One of the most satisfying parts of the job is the people I work with. The teamwork is fantastic.

I work at four or five places steadily where I rotate through, and I look forward to seeing the people, and they look forward to seeing me. It’s a nice thing, and it doesn’t get old after six years of being in the same place. It stays refreshing and diminishes the grind. When you work in an inpatient unit, you’re going to the same place every day and seeing the same people. The specific job I have with Iris is amazing.

Q: As a healthcare professional, how do you manage work-life balance?

A: I don’t have a commute, so I can drop off my son in the morning, go for a walk in Central Park, do my yoga exercises, then work. I can take time to relax, have lunch, then go back to work. I can still get my son in the afternoon. I don’t know if there’s any secret to it. We can travel and have a life outside of being stuck in an apartment.

I have much more time in my life now that I’m a telepsychiatrist. It’s liberating. You’re not trapped in a certain place for that many hours.

Q: What are your biggest learnings from your time at Iris?

A: I learned a lot of new technology that I wasn’t really aware of – like Epic. Getting to know Epic was a great skill to learn, and I love that platform. It’s one thing that I didn’t use before. It’s amazing, and I’m so happy that all my jobs are using it now. It’s powerful, and you can easily learn about the patients.

Q: What is the most rewarding part of your job?

A: Working for Iris has been the most rewarding out of all the jobs I’ve worked since my residency. The people I work with are super positive. I always feel supported and proud to work for Iris.

I also love working in Minnesota. I love the culture and the people. I like making connections with the support staff and the patients there. It’s been gratifying. I live in New York City, and I work on the East Coast, so it’s just a different approach to life. I have more connection with my son, and I’m able to be a big part of his life even though I’m working full time. If I were commuting an hour back and forth every day, that would be two fewer hours to be a part of my son’s life.

Q: Why do you think telepsychiatry is important to the future of mental healthcare?

A: It brings psychiatry to places where it’s not easily accessible for people. Especially where I’m working in some of the smaller towns in Minnesota, it’s hard for people to get quality psychiatry. I know that primary care is doing a lot of medication management. However, that’s not their specialty, it’s one more thing to learn, and they may not be comfortable with it.

I think we can bring more quality, specialty care to people who don’t have access. Even though COVID-19 made it unsafe for people to go out, they can still get their medications refilled, have a connection, have someone check in on them, support them, and help treat their conditions.

Even in Minnesota, they were canceling outpatient programs in the bad snow and cold, but we could still see people in their homes. This type of access varies by state, and some states don’t allow the patient to be at their home. However, Minnesota is really progressive. In the partial hospitals where I’m working, people talk from their own homes instead of having to come into a clinic.

Q: What do you love about working with Iris?

A: Iris makes you feel like you’re part of the team, and they really validate you. I’ve worked so many places where you’re just there, and they expect you to be there and do your job, but you don’t get any appreciation.

After four years, Iris gave me a plaque, and I was employee of the month. Ted Bryant, the Senior Manager of Clinical Operations, is amazing. He’s always positive and is always saying, “You’re a great doctor!” It makes a difference to feel like you’re not just a cog in the machine, but you’re a person. I don’t know what it would be like to work for another telehealth company, but I can’t imagine anything better than working for Iris.

At Iris, we believe our providers should be respected, valued, and applauded for the work they do, and we couldn’t be more proud to say, “thank you” to our very own Dr. Mark Miceli. If you’d like to learn more about working for Iris Telehealth, contact us today.

How to Jumpstart Your Child Psychiatry Career

Over the past few years, child and adolescent psychiatrists have experienced a surge in demand due to the pandemic’s impact on children’s mental health. While many parts of the country have suffered from a shortage of child and adolescent providers for many years, the disruptions of COVID-19 have led to an unprecedented mental health crisis. Only last year, the surgeon general declared a national emergency for child and adolescent mental health.

Given this landscape, there are ample opportunities for child psychiatrists to provide help to patients across the U.S. With so many career and development opportunities, it’s critical for you to choose the position that is the best fit for you and your goals.

However, finding a fulfilling, flexible, and impactful job as a child psychiatrist can be difficult. That’s why, we’re here to help you get off to the right start and set yourself up for success (while preventing burnout). Read on to learn how you can find the best culture, setting, and organizational fit for you.

Finding the right care setting for you

There are some environments and work settings that will always have a high demand, like outpatient mental health centers, for example. Many providers go into outpatient care because of their interest in child development. With outpatient work, you can often see a child until they’re an adult and cultivate a long-term relationship with them.

Knowing what type of child and adolescent patient population you want to work with can help you narrow in on what care setting will work best for you.. However, this insight might develop over time. As you go through your career, clarity about whether you want to provide care for a specialty population, a specific age group, or specific diagnoses will become clearer. You might even have a good idea of your preference as early as your residency or medical school rotations. While you’re still early in your child psychiatry career, it’s okay to not have it all figured out yet.

Finding a good organizational fit

Securing a good organizational fit with a telepsychiatry vendor should be one of your biggest priorities as a child psychiatrist. By finding the right fit, you’ll be well positioned to deliver high-quality services to your patients while achieving long-term job satisfaction. However, finding the right position is more than just getting a spot on someone’s team.

When it comes to finding the right position for you at a healthcare organization or telepsychiatry company, asking detailed questions about the systems already in place for their clinicians is key to understanding the type of support and resources you’ll have available.

Here are four questions to ask your next employer to determine whether they’re a good fit for you:

  1. What support structures are available? Knowing what support structures are available to you is crucial to understanding how a given organization treats their providers. Support at a company or organization can look like having someone available to answer your questions, providing equipment for your practice, or even offering PTO and other benefits to their providers (we provide all of that and more for our Iris clinicians).
  2. What is the organization’s turnover rate? A high turnover rate can be a red flag indicating the organization is not meeting their providers’ needs – or, for a telepsychiatry company, making suitable matches for their providers. A low retention rate can raise questions about the workplace culture and values.
  3. Who is responsible for licensing, credentialing, and malpractice insurance? These administrative tasks can seem daunting to do alone. Working with an organization that handles or supports these tasks can make your work life a little easier, giving you time back to be the best child psychiatrist you can be. At Iris Telehealth, we tackle all the licensing, credentialing, and burdensome administrative work so our providers can focus on what they love most – providing exceptional care to their patients.
  4. How does placement work? Here at Iris, we provide matches based on experience, schedule preferences, prescribing philosophies, personality match, and much more.

How telepsychiatry can set you up for success

Telepsychiatry can help close the mental health care gap in rural areas for adults and children alike. For some youth experiencing mental health conditions or increased stress, it can be difficult to access appropriate, effective mental health care.

However, especially early in your career, it is important to learn how to use telepsychiatry effectively – whether or not you’re interested in a position as a full-time telepsychiatrist.

If you are using telepsychiatry with your patients, these tips can help you effectively provide care to your patients:

  1. Establish parameters with parents. When working with children and adolescents, it is vital for child psychiatrists to ask parents to agree to confidentiality rules before treating their young patients. Confidentiality is key to providing effective treatment as it can help build a relationship between you and the patient. The same expectation for confidentiality for in-person visits should be adhered to during virtual appointments.
  2. Check in with the child and parents. It is not safe to assume that adolescents are immediately comfortable with telepsychiatry, even if they are accustomed to technology through video games or social media usage. By checking in with them to see how they’re feeling about this modality, you can alter the method of care as needed and build a strong relationship with your patients.
  3. Adjust your camera setup. It can be helpful to zoom in and out with your equipment to observe kids play. By having the same vantage point as if you were in the office, you can provide better care.

Resources and training opportunities

Continuing medical education (CME) is important to facilitate life-long learning as a provider. By developing your skills and expanding your knowledge as a child psychiatrist, you can improve patient satisfaction and outcomes.

Here are some resources that can help you as you continue your journey as a child psychiatrist:

  1. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Telepsychiatry Toolkit: This toolkit covers a broad range of topics related to the implementation of mental health services for children and adolescents. Some areas include legal and safety issues, setting up your practice, telepsychiatry with children and adolescents, and working with special populations.
  2. AACAP’s Online CME Courses: The AACAP offers multiple self-study courses that can help your individual educational needs through videos and lectures. They also provide a test to gauge your learning.
  3. Medscape’s CME Learning Center: Medscape offers a comprehensive list of resources for child and adolescent psychiatrists. Various topics include telehealth, clinician burnout, management, and providing care to specific populations.

How Iris Telehealth can help

At Iris Telehealth, we take provider placement very seriously. Our matching process is set up to make sure you get placed at the best healthcare organization for your long-term goals, patient preference, and schedule. Your dream job could be here at Iris Telehealth.

We provide equipment, 24/7 tech support, CME credit, and malpractice insurance for our clinicians to support and help them thrive. In addition, we connect our clinicians with providers who can offer long-term career advice. Contact us today to see if our telepsychiatry services are right for you.

Clinician Corner:
Meet Dr. Jessica Jeffrey, DO

Iris clinicians are at the heart of what makes our organization such a special place to work. That’s why we’re turning the spotlight on the amazing work they’re doing every day. This month, we’re sitting down to talk with Dr. Jessica Jeffrey.

Q: How did you find Iris and decide you wanted to be an Iris provider?

A: I was working for a community mental health clinic, and when the pandemic hit, we quickly moved to telehealth. It was the first time using telehealth for just about all of us, but I found there was a lot I liked about it. Personally, the schedule worked well for my family. It also worked well for many of my patients, whether they were in rural or urban communities.

For patients in urban areas, telehealth made getting care easier because of the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Telehealth also worked well for patients with conditions that make it difficult to leave their homes and for moms with young children. It was much easier for these patients to see me from their kitchen table and not have to pack up maybe two or three children and bring them to the visit.

So, when I had the opportunity to look for a different type of clinic, I looked for telehealth. I applied to Iris because I happen to know Dr. Milam from my training days. I figured if Dr. Milam was associated with the enterprise, I should probably apply, and I did.

Q: What does a typical day as an Iris Telehealth provider look like for you?

A: I am part of a new initiative with a large enterprise partner in Pennsylvania who serves a wide range of patients in rural communities and some urban areas. They wanted Iris’s help managing the large influx of referrals coming into their clinic. Currently, I’m doing telehealth from home, and I’m working with adults. In the future, I’m probably going to start doing some on-call pediatric work on the weekends.

Before starting the clinic, we spent a lot of time coordinating with the partner and discussing potential issues – whether those issues were related to IT or crisis support. We also spent time working on the scheduling and getting to know the support staff. We talked with the LCSWs from Iris about how we would work as a team and how to triage and manage workflow.

Now that it has started, I mostly spend my time seeing new patients, and we have weekly meetings with the care team to assess what’s working, what’s not working, and how we can make this better.

Q: What do you love about being a telepsychiatry provider?

A: Well, number one, I love being a psychiatrist. I think it’s the most interesting medical specialty there is. There is a fair amount of medicine even within a psychiatry practice, which surprises some people. However, a lot of patients have multiple medical problems and because of the nature of their psychiatric illness, sometimes their physical health is neglected. So, our patients are often fairly sick and there is a lot of coordination with the other specialties, which I enjoy.

Being a psychiatrist is so interesting because you get to know the people and follow them. And outpatient care is like a new chapter in the book in learning about them. I’m very fortunate to be in this specialty.

I like the flexibility of being in telepsychiatry. It’s a little easier for me with my schedule. It’s also easier for the patients, especially for those who are going to have more trouble with transportation, whether it’s the expense of the ride, or not having a car. It’s not for everybody, but we’re doing a good job of making sure that people who are eligible for this kind of service can utilize it.

Q: How do you foster connection with patients virtually?

A: When I first have a visit with a patient, the first few things I tell them are, “Here’s what we’re going to do. If you have any problems with the connection, I’m going to call you right away. Don’t despair if there are problems with the communication or telehealth equipment.” Then, we launch into it. If you’re looking at the camera and talking to someone like they’re a human being, pretty soon it feels like a normal conversation.

I do have the advantage of practicing telehealth in what’s already a FaceTime, Zoom sort of environment. Many of my patients are already pretty familiar with having video chats with their friends and families. So, it’s not much of a leap to talk to the doctor.

Q: As a healthcare professional, how do you manage work-life balance?

A: At the end of the day, I try very hard to stop being Dr. Jeffrey and start being Jessica. I try very hard to keep those boundaries between work. We all have those moments where we’re thinking about a particular patient who was having a hard time when we’re brushing our teeth. But, when I’m off, I’m with my family and doing things I enjoy doing – and when I’m back at work, I’m in that mode, and that’s what I do. In psychiatry it’s important to have those distinct boundaries because there is so much of a human element to what we do. So, you have to be able to leave it in the office.

Q: What are your biggest learnings from your time at Iris?

A: Iris has been a lot of fun so far. The people I’m working with have a good sense of humor. They’ve been refreshingly vocal about maintaining boundaries and work-life balance right out of the gate. When you hear that coming from the administrative side, it’s very appealing for physicians because they don’t feel they’re the only ones advocating for work-life balance. So, I felt really good about that.

Iris has really impressed me in how they think about helping any particular partner. There’s an enormous amount of work that goes into the logistics of putting a new physician in a clinic, and supporting that clinic once it’s up and running. I came to understand that it’s more than just putting someone in the seat and filling a position, it’s the ongoing support with that clinic.

Working for Iris and with this partner is exciting because they’re working with you all along the way, to serve the clinic. This approach is probably quite unique amongst telehealth companies.

Q: Why do you think telepsychiatry is important to the future of mental healthcare?

A: It’s access. Many of the patients we serve, particularly in community mental health and larger university settings, are communities with the most access issues. Telepsychiatry is one of the ways we can bring access to these people — whether it’s meeting people where they are or increasing provider availability. By increasing provider availability, organizations can bring in physicians who may not necessarily be in that area. The expense and time commitment to recruit and bring a physician to a new location is enormous – so if organizations can recruit someone who may not be in that area but is willing to sit down and learn the locality remotely, then you’re improving access to patients.

At Iris, we believe our providers should be respected, valued, and applauded for the work they do, and we couldn’t be more proud to say, “thank you” to our very own Dr. Jeffrey. If you’d like to learn more about working for Iris Telehealth, contact us today.