Health disparities arising from geographic isolation, travel and parking expense, and simple logistics related to not being able to get to and from treatment sites are being addressed through adaptation of best practice treatments to telemedicine formats. However, this process has been unnecessarily slowed by administrative and clinical fears related to patient safety, reimbursement, and limits of technology. In this interactive session, Drs. Acierno and Hamner will discuss common issues confronting psychiatric and behavioral providers using telemedicine to treat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other related disorders, including suicidality and safety risk, technology requirements and barriers, modifications to content and style, billing and reimbursement standards, and lessons learned. Emerging data comparing outcomes of televideo vs. in-person treatments will also be covered.
