The use of video-based telepsychiatry helps meet patients’ needs for convenient, affordable and readily-accessible mental health services. With a robust evidence base that shows telepsychiatry leading to improved outcomes and higher patient satisfaction ratings, policy makers, payers and providers are increasingly considering ways to implement and use telepsychiatry.
APA is helping psychiatrists learn about and adopt telepsychiatry through its Committee on Telepsychiatry, The Telepsychiatry Toolkit and its Best Practices in Videoconferencing-Based Telemental Health guide.
About the Toolkit
APA's Telepsychiatry Toolkit is an evolving resource for members who want to learn about the various aspects of telepsychiatry, including clinical, training, and policy considerations. As new topics emerge, more resources and information will be added to this toolkit.
The toolkit covers topics from History, training, practice/clinical, reimbursement and legal issues from leading psychiatrists.
Explore the Telepsychiatry Toolkit
APA Committee on Telepsychiatry
APA’s Committee on Telepsychiatry was originally constituted as the APA Ad Hoc Work Group on Telepsychiatry by APA President Renee Binder, MD, in 2015. The Work Group’s original charge was to develop member resources around telepsychiatry, specifically focusing on educational materials related to the practice, research, and policy implications of telepsychiatry.
The Committee consists of the APA members who are active within academia, private practice, and within hospital settings.
View the current committee
Voting Members
- Jay Shore, M.D., Chair, (2016 – 2018) The University of Colorado, Denver
- Peter Yellowlees, M.D. (2016 – 2018) – University of California – Davis
- Robert Caudill, M.D. (2016 – 2018) – The University of Louisville
- Meera Narasimhan, M.D. (2016 – 2017)– The University of South Carolina
- Kathleen Myers, M.D. (2016 – 2017) – Seattle Children’s Hospital
- Jeffrey Bennett, M.D. (2016) – Southern Illinois University
Corresponding Members
- Steve Daviss, M.D. (representing APA’s Committee on Mental Health IT) – M3 Systems, Baltimore, Md.
- Donald Hilty, M.D. – The University of Southern California
- Alexander von Hafften, M.D. – Private practice psychiatrist, Anchorage, Alaska
- Steven Chan, M.D., M.B.A. – University of California – Davis
- Hind Benjelloun, M.D. – InSight Telepsychiatry, LLC
APA Policy on Telepsychiatry
APA’s current policy on telepsychiatry, updated from its 1995 iteration with consultation from APA’s Council on Quality Care (and other Components) states:
Telemedicine in psychiatry, using video conferencing, is a validated and effective practice of medicine that increases access to care. The American Psychiatric Association supports the use of telemedicine as a legitimate component of a mental health delivery system to the extent that its use is in the best interest of the patient and is in compliance with the APA policies on medical ethics and confidentiality.
The Committee’s primary objective is to grow a “Telepsychiatry Toolkit,” which is a resource geared toward psychiatrists who are considering adopting telepsychiatry into their practice.
Contact Us
For more information about the APA Committee on Telepsychiatry, please e-mail APA’s Department of Practice Management and Delivery Systems at practicemanagement@psych.org.