The South Carolina Department of Mental Health began piloting a system to provide patients with remote consultations through a secure interactive system in areas where mental health resources are scarce.
Previously these patients were held in small guarded rooms in hospital emergency departments until they could receive evaluations, sometimes for days at a time.
A psychiatrist will review the patient’s medical record electronically, provide a one-hour consultation, and then recommend a treatment plan for the patient.
Sixteen hospitals around the state are involved in the program with over 2,700 consultations performed so far.
View “Hospitals Start Using Telepsychiatry” in its entirety.
