Cuero Regional Hospital Launches Outpatient Telepsychiatry Program
Cuero, TX– Cuero Regional Hospital’s launched an outpatient telepsychiatry program via their Outpatient Specialty Clinic on Wednesday, August 21, 2019 to increase efficiency and access to psychiatric care for adults across the rural communities they serve. The telepsychiatry program is launched in partnership with Access Physicians, a national telehealth service provider organization.
Telepsychiatry is the delivery of psychiatry through real time videoconferencing. It is proven to be an effective form of care delivery and a convenient, cost-effective way to safely provide psychiatric support without the challenge of staffing an in-person psychiatry provider. Cuero Regional Hospital partnered with Texas Hospital Association- endorsed Access Physicians, a Texas-based, multispecialty physician group delivering care through hospital-based telemedicine programs. CRH partnered with Access Physicians in early 2019 to launch telecardiology services and found the need to grow telemedicine services to include telepsychiatry after glowing testimonials from both patients and hospital staff and doctors.
“Prior to implementing the telepsychiatry outpatient program at Cuero Regional Hospital, patients had to travel great distances and often wait weeks or even months for appointments. Thanks to telepsychiatry, Cuero Regional Hospital able to provide appointments with psychiatrists each week to our patients and reduce costly, time consuming commutes for them,” said Lynn Falcone, CEO of Cuero Health. “The initial patient feedback has been very positive, letting us know they are thankful to have this service and technology in our community,” said Falcone.
“Telepsychiatry allows qualified, experienced psychiatrists to visit with patients,” said Dr. Chris Gallagher with Access Physicians. “Most people with mental disorders in the United States remain either untreated or poorly treated. Our hope is by the continued development of the telepsychiatry program, we can expand availability and deliver care quickly to those that so desperately need it,” said Gallagher.
“Given the staggering number of individuals in Texas that are living with serious psychological distress including major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, panic disorder or anxiety, telepsychiatry is a great solution, particularly in rural parts of South Texas where there is a shortage of nearby access to psychiatry providers,” said Gallagher.
“We are thrilled to be able to offer this innovative new service to our patients and to continue to grow our telehealth services. Given the tremendous response we received from both patients and Cuero Regional Hospital’s physicians, we knew Access Physicians would continue to be the ideal partner as we grow to expand telehealth services. We are dedicated to increasing psychiatric access to our patients, and this is a smart way to ensure our patients are getting the care that they need on a consistent basis,” said Falcone.
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Access Physicians is a multispecialty physician group committed to clinical excellence through telemedicine. Each day, countless Americans go without the care they need due to an inability to access a physician. Access Physicians seeks to systematically improve and regionalize patient care, delivered through a truly unique combination of clinical workflows, elite physicians committed to clinical excellence, and a world-class telemedicine experience supported with a clinical sense of urgency. Now one of the largest providers of inpatient telemedicine in the U.S., we build scalable programs to drive clinical and financial outcomes across the hospital enterprise. Learn more at www.accessphysicians.com
Cuero Regional Hospital is located at 2550 N. Esplanade in Cuero, Texas and offers an ED- Level IV Trauma Center, on-staff General Surgeon, and a TeleStroke program, as well as TeleCardiology and TelePsychiatry program. For more information, visit www.cuerohospital.org or call (361) 275-6191.