Sovereign Health, a national behavioral health system, has launched an innovative new telehealth service: Telehealth. This cutting edge Telehealth service, which is offered to patients in an outpatient level of care, is a monumental development in how behavioral health treatment services are provided. Telehealth patients receive individual and group counseling sessions via videoconferencing. Licensed clinicians use a secure, HIPAA-compliant program to participate in a two-way video chat with patients. Recovery management is critically important following a patient’s release from treatment. As thought leaders in the behavioral health field, Sovereign Health constantly strives to find new, effective ways to ensure every patient has the best chance at lasting recovery. The launch of Telehealth is another example of Sovereign’s commitment to providing behavioral health treatment excellence to patients in need.
“Our industry has been a little behind in leveraging technology, and this a good way forward so more people can get help,” as Dr. Sharma noted in an interview with Behavioral Healthcare Executive magazine. “Laws require that clinicians delivering telehealth services be licensed in the state, so Sovereign’s program is currently offered to patients in California, Texas and Florida, where the organization has established operations. Another phase of the Telehealth rollout will aim to increase the network of clinicians, bringing in others outside of Sovereign’s current geography.”
Not only is Telehealth available to patients who’ve completed inpatient treatment as part of their recovery management – Telehealth is also available to new patients who need treatment in Sovereign’s outpatient or intensive outpatient programs. With Telehealth, patients who are separated by distance from their clinicians will now receive the treatment they need via videoconferencing. This inability to connect with their therapists in-person may lead some patients to relapse. However, with Telehealth, these patients will now be able to receive the behavioral health treatment they need in the privacy of their own homes.
Benefits of Telehealth include:
Scheduling freedom
Allows access to therapy regardless of the patient’s location
Allowing therapy for patients uncomfortable with in-person therapy
Sovereign has launched a new three-part series, “Telehealth Series.” The first article, “Sovereign Health’s Telehealth: Telehealth expands the continuum of care,” focuses on the benefits of Telehealth.
