The Telepsychiatry Advantage

Want to make sure a patient never wants to book a telepsychiatry appointment with you again? Then this episode of The Telepsychiatry Advantage is for you. Dr. Edward Kaftarian walks through what the worst version of a virtual psychiatry visit looks like — the kind that makes patients feel ignored, uncomfortable, distracted, or unsure if the clinician is even present with them. It’s a fun look at h...

Telepsychiatry gives clinicians more flexibility to meet patients where they are. But that flexibility can also create more room for small mistakes that quietly hurt the relationship with the patient. Poor eye contact, a noisy or unprofessional setting, delayed documentation — unfortunately, mistakes like these happen too often in virtual care. And while they may seem minor in the moment, they can...

Prescribing controlled substances through telepsychiatry requires more than knowing the law. It requires knowing how to evaluate risk, read what is happening on camera, and maintain the same clinical standard you would bring to an in-person visit. In this episode of The Telepsychiatry Advantage—and part 3 of our Ryan Haight Act series—Dr. Edward Kaftarian explains why the screen does not lower the...

Prescribing controlled substances through telepsychiatry requires more than knowing the law. It requires knowing how to evaluate risk, read what is happening on camera, and maintain the same clinical standard you would bring to an in-person visit. In this episode of The Telepsychiatry Advantage—and part 3 of our Ryan Haight Act series—Dr. Edward Kaftarian explains why the screen does not lower the...

The entire telemedicine industry has one date on its mind: December 31, 2026. That’s when the current telemedicine prescribing flexibilities are set to expire, creating what many in the field now call the “telemedicine cliff.” These flexibilities were created during the pandemic and allowed many clinicians to prescribe controlled substances remotely without an initial in-person visit. If they expi...

The Ryan Haight Act is one of the most important laws in modern telepsychiatry, especially when it comes to prescribing controlled substances remotely. Nearly every conversation around telemedicine care eventually leads back to this legislation and the events that led to its creation. The law emerged during a chaotic period in the early internet era, when rogue online pharmacies were distributing...

AI is one of the biggest conversations happening in the world right now, and healthcare is no exception. Some clinicians are excited about what AI could make possible. Others are understandably worried about what it could mean for the future of the profession and the doctor-patient relationship. First things first: we don’t think AI is here to take the job of psychiatrists. We think the opposite....

Telepsychiatry with children and adolescents comes with a different set of challenges. Younger patients may be distracted, restless, reluctant to talk, or more interested in what’s happening around them than what’s happening on screen. But with the right approach, those challenges can become opportunities. In this episode of The Telepsychiatry Advantage, Dr. Edward Kaftarian talks about how to con...

Managing a psychiatric crisis online is not the same as managing one in person. If a patient is manic, psychotic, intoxicated, or in danger of self-harm, good clinical instincts still matter—but they are not enough on their own. he patient may be in another city. They may be in another state. They may hang up. Calling 911 may not send help to the right place. And in that moment, the clinician cann...

First impressions in telepsychiatry aren’t made when you start speaking—they’re made the moment your video turns on. And for many clinicians, that first impression is working against them. In this episode of The Telepsychiatry Advantage, Dr. Edward Kaftarian breaks down how your virtual setup shapes patient trust before a single word is spoken. Poor lighting that hides your expressions, camera ang...

Telepsychiatry isn't just a "nice to have" alternative anymore—for many patients, it’s becoming the default. The field is seeing more patients, more clinicians, and more sessions. The issue is that information on how to actually deliver high-quality care using telepsychiatry has NOT kept up. Many clinicians are still relying on outdated practices, which frankly, don't work as w...