Essentials of Telebehavioral Health: A Practical Guide

Description

Telebehavioral Health (TBH), defined as the use of information and telecommunication technologies for remote behavioral health service delivery, has witnessed exponential growth in recent years. The increase in TBH adoption can be attributed to several factors such as: increasing demand for behavioral health services, increasing availability of high-speed internet, decreasing cost of technology, expansion of reimbursement, and growing scientific evidence demonstrating its effectiveness across various patient populations, psychiatric conditions, and clinical settings. The COVID-19 pandemic further catapulted TBH expansion and scaling, as social distancing and lockdown measures left both clinicians and patients with limited alternatives. Essentials of Telebehavioral Health: A Practical Guide comes at a time when TBH’s effectiveness is well-established, its position in healthcare systems secure and uncontested, and the conversation around it shifting from “if” to “how” it could be implemented. The success of TBH programs is contingent on the careful planning, meticulous implementation, and continuous monitoring and evaluation of its essential components, with special emphasis on clinical, technical, legal and ethical considerations. While there are existing resources that offer road maps for TBH program implementation, what this book provides is hands-on support and guidance to set up and maintain a TBH practice, focusing on both its programmatic and clinical aspects. Its simple structure, succinctness, and scientific rigor make it suitable for both professional and educational settings.  In addition to contributing to the writeup, the editors enlisted several authors with a wealth of practical knowledge and firsthand clinical experience on TBH implementation and delivery. The user experience is enhanced through explanatory figures, synthesis tables, visual aids, end-of-section checklists, and summaries in bullet-point format.     Essentials of Telebehavioral Health: A Practical Guide is a concise and evidence-based guide that synthesizes decades’ worth of knowledge and experience into key pointers for clinicians, professionals, and interested learners on how to plan, implement, deliver, evaluate, and ensure the sustainability of TBH programs. As the most up-to-date text on TBH, this book serves as a go-to resource for healthcare professionals, clinicians, students and trainees with minimal to no formal education on TBH, to work towards adopting this modality in a  synthesised and easy to read format. Contents Editors and Contributors About the Editors Contributors Abbreviations 1: Introduction References 2: Telebehavioral Health: The Basics TBH Services The Evolution of Telebehavioral Health in the United States The Pioneering Experiments The “Coming-of-Age” Period The Resurgence of TBH in the 1990s The 2000s and Beyond The Evolving Role of TBH References 3: The Originating Site Geographic Location Type of Originating Sites Physical Setup Accessibility Privacy Atmosphere Communication Safety Teleclinician Site Staff Workflows and Protocols Information and Communication Technologies Documentation Prescribing Testing Crisis Management After-Hours Coverage Training References 4: The Patient Population Patient Population Child and Adolescent Populations Geriatric Populations Rural Populations LGBTQ Communities Populations with Substance Use Disorders Patients with Communication Needs Informed Consent and Patient Information Referring Patients to In-person BHS References 5: The Teleclinician Prior to Sessions Build an Online Profile Appropriateness for TBH Scheduling Informed Consent and Patient Information Technological Preparedness Crisis Planning Teleclinician Setup During Sessions The Basics Rapport and Therapeutic Alliance Clinical Considerations Technological Issues Crisis Management Prescribing Ending the Session After Sessions Documentation Clinical Collaboration Coding and Billing Beyond Sessions Ethical Considerations Teleclinician Well-Being References 6: Information and Communication Technologies Software Hardware Connectivity Contingency Planning References 7: Cultural and Regulatory Context Cultural Considerations Culture and Behavioral Health Culturally Appropriate Care Regulatory Considerations The Ryan Haight Act Licensure Reimbursement Collaborative Agreements References 8: Monitoring, Evaluation, and Quality Assurance Originating Site Wait-Time Volume of Patients Served Originating Site Staff Satisfaction Cost-Efficiency Patient Population Nonclinical Outcomes Clinical Outcomes Teleclinician Quality Assurance Teleclinician Satisfaction Information and Communication Technologies Security Support Cultural and Regulatory Framework Cultural Framework Regulatory Compliance Teleclinician Considerations Other Considerations References 9: Current Trends and Anticipated Directions in TBH Current Trends Care Management Digital Health Solutions Asynchronous Care Higher Levels of Care Tele-MAT Consultative Models Value-Based Care Future Directions References Appendix Index and Resources Chapter 2: Telebehavioral Health: The Basics Chapter 3: The Originating site Chapter 5: The Teleclincian Chapter 6: Information and Communications Technologies Chapter 7: Cultural and Regulatory Frameworks Chapter 8: Monitoring and Evaluation and Quality Assurance Glossary Index