In 2010, the South Carolina Department of Mental Health (SCDMH) first began using Polycom’s RealPresence platform, which enabled SCDMH psychiatrists at 15 hospitals to conduct more than 12,100 rapid consultations with patients in hospital emergency departments, reducing the cost per treatment episode by over $1,800 for a total taxpayer savings of more than $21.7 million – and hospital stays of from five to six days to same-day discharge.
Today Polycom announced that SCDMH has expanded the telepsychiatry consultation program to 21 hospitals throughout the state.
Polycom, Inc. is a provider of open standards-based unified communications.
“Our telepsychiatry consultation program is focused on accelerating the initial treatment for patients to improve health outcomes and reduce the length of hospitalizations,” said Ed Spencer, director of SCDMH’s telepsychiatry consultation program. “Polycom video solutions help us achieve our emphasis on community-based care and our ongoing efforts to reduce rehospitalizations.”
Today, 43 percent of patients are discharged the same day they enter the hospital.
And the early psychiatric intervention has “helped increase adherence to post-hospitalization outpatient care programs by nearly 200 percent,” according to a recent statement.
The telepsychiatry program uses Polycom’s HD, capturing not just the verbal interaction between doctor and patient, but the non-verbal cues, that sometimes can be even more important.
“Psychiatrists can learn a tremendous amount by looking for subtle indicators, such as lack of eye contact, abnormal movement, or enlarged pupils. HD video is helping us provide the best possible treatment for our patients,” said Brenda Ratliff, MD, program medical director.
Telepsychiatry brings together doctor and patient just about anywhere, anytime. Patients no longer have to physically be present in the health provider’s office – a huge benefit to those who live outside the reach of medical and psychiatric services.
The program’s success has resulted in a planned increase in participating hospitals from 21 to 30 in 2012, and the availability of telepsychiatry services scheduled to move from 16 hours per day to 24/7.
Eight other states have contacted SCDMH to gather information about rolling out similar services.
Edited by
Braden Becker
