- Advocacy Issues
- Alexander Von Hafften, M.D.
Advocacy Issues
Telepsychiatry using videoconferencing is a validated and effective practice of medicine. Telepsychiatry videoconferencing is equivalent to in-person encounters in diagnostic accuracy, treatment effectiveness, patient satisfaction, and is often more cost efficient than in-person encounters.
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is a leader in psychiatry advocacy and will be a leader in telepsychiatry advocacy. The APA advocates for the following:
- Patient privacy and confidentiality remaining fundamental principles of psychiatric practice and telepsychiatric practice
- Patient preference and psychiatrist judgment regarding how patient accesses psychiatric care
- Telepsychiatry research
- Psychiatric services provided by videoconferencing being reimbursed equivalent to psychiatric services provided in-person