•  Advocacy Issues
•  Alexander Von Hafften, M.D.

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