What is telehealth?
Telehealth is known by many names, such as telemedicine, telepsychiatry, telepsychology, and teletherapy. No matter what name you use, it offers an excellent benefit by giving you access to your provider at Palo Alto Mind Body without coming into the office.
Telehealth is recognized by the American Psychiatric Association and the Medical Board of California as an official and effective way to interact with patients. It’s a great way to add an extra session between regularly scheduled appointments if needed or to get the professional help you need when travel to Palo Alto isn’t feasible.
What are the benefits of telehealth?
Beyond the obvious benefit of consulting with your providers at Palo Alto Mind Body without traveling to the office, telehealth helps by:
- Providing access to mental health care that may not be available in your area
- Helping to integrate psychiatric care and primary care
- Reducing or eliminating trips to urgent care facilities or the emergency room
- Getting the mental health care you need sooner
- Eliminating the need to take time off work or hire a babysitter
- Removing transportation problems
Many patients find they are more comfortable sitting at home talking with their psychiatrist, which makes it easier to share their concerns and feelings.
Telehealth is also preferred by patients whose emotional state or mental health issues make it hard to travel or interact in person, such as those with severe anxiety disorders.
Is telehealth effective?
The American Psychiatric Association reports that there’s substantial evidence showing the effectiveness of telehealth. The service also gets high praise from patients and psychiatrists, who rank it as equivalent to in-person care for treatment effectiveness and quality of care.
How does telehealth work?
It’s important to know that your telehealth appointment is conducted via secure and encrypted channels using HIPAA-compliant video conferencing software.
If you’re an existing patient and you’re interested in learning more about future appointments via telehealth, call Palo Alto Mind Body, send a confidential email, or ask about it at your next visit. Please note, we also serve many patients located in the surrounding Bay Area, such as South Bay, North Bay, East Bay, Peninsula, San Jose, and San Francisco.
