Expanding the Telehealth Model to Include Behavior Health Needs is Eagle’s Focus at ATA
MINNEAPOLIS—May 17, 2016—Eagle is expanding the telehealth model to include the field of psychiatry, and help fill the tremendous gaps in U.S. behavioral health treatment.
“Mental illness affects 1 in 5 Americans, and yet millions of cases go untreated,” said Talbot “Mac” McCormick, MD, President and CEO of Eagle Telemedicine, an independent, physician-led company that develops and manages inpatient telemedicine programs for hospitals. “With more than half of the 3,007 counties in the U.S. lacking mental health professionals to provide local care, the vast majority of people in the U.S. have no easy access to mental health services. That is now changing with TelePsychiatry.”
Telehealth Model Brings Mental Health Services to More Americans
A telehealth model that includes psychiatry will be will be the main topic of discussion when Eagle Telemedicine attends the American Telemedicine Association’s Annual Conference & Trade Show in Minneapolis.
“With Eagle’s TelePsychiatry benefits, psychiatrists and psychologists deliver real-time, face-to-face treatment using secure, HIPAA-compliant, two-way videoconferencing,” Dr. McCormick said. “Patients receive mental health therapy and pharmacological support despite staff shortages or barriers to access. We are proud to make it part of our portfolio of telehealth solutions, and look forward to discussing it with attendees at the ATA conference.”
Accredited by the ATA for online patient consultation and a gold-level corporate partner of the National Rural Health Association, Eagle Telemedicine will participate in ATA’s conference in Booth 2334, providing details about its TelePsychiatry solution. Eagle subject matter experts will discuss how synchronous telehealth in psychiatry help hospitals across the country provide new care specialties to their communities.
New Frontier in Mental Health
“As a pioneer of the telemedicine industry, we have spent the past five years honing our practice model to meet specific hospital needs,” said Dr. McCormick. “Our TelePsychiatry program is an ideal use of telemedicine because it not only improves access to mental health care, but also helps decrease costs to patients, hospital systems, and communities. It’s also interesting to note that mental health patients are frequently more at ease and forthcoming in a TelePsychiatry visit.”
A recent U.S. News and World Report article called TelePsychiatry “the new frontier” in mental health. Yet, there are not enough TelePsychiatry companies. “Telemedicine was a great innovation, but the real excitement comes when you see all its varied applications in healthcare today,” said Dr. McCormick. “TelePsychiatry is one of those vital applications and a much-needed component of well-rounded hospitalist programs today.”
