Telepsychiatry isn’t new — psychiatrists have been seeing patients by video for over a decade — but it went from a niche option to a mainstream one almost overnight during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, roughly 60 percent of mental health visits happen by video, and the body of research now shows that for the majority of conditions, telepsychiatry produces outcomes essentially identical to in-person care. At Hamilton Behavioral, we offer both, and most patients end up using some mix of the two. Here is how to think about which is right for you.
What telepsychiatry actually is
Telepsychiatry is a real psychiatric appointment — intake assessment, diagnosis, medication management, therapy — conducted by secure video. It is not a chat app, not a self-help platform, and not a watered-down version of in-person care. You see the same provider, who has access to the same chart, prescribes the same medications, and follows the same clinical protocols. The only difference is that the appointment happens through your laptop or phone instead of in our office.
At Hamilton Behavioral, all our telepsychiatry appointments use HIPAA-compliant video platforms, and our providers are licensed in both New Jersey and New York, so we can see patients located anywhere in either state.
When telepsychiatry is the better choice
Telepsychiatry tends to work especially well for:
- Medication management visits — brief follow-ups for adjusting dosages, checking side effects, refilling prescriptions. There is almost nothing in-person adds for a 15-minute med check.
- Working professionals and parents — visits fit into a lunch break or while kids are at school, without the added 60–90 minutes of commute and waiting room time.
- Patients with anxiety, agoraphobia, or social phobia — for many people with these conditions, the act of getting to an office is itself the hardest part of starting treatment.
- Patients in underserved areas — rural Sussex County, for example, has very few psychiatrists. Telepsychiatry erases the geography problem.
- Patients seeing the same provider long-term — once you and your psychiatrist know each other, the value of being in the same physical room drops significantly.
When in-person is the better choice
In-person care is generally preferable for:
- Complex initial evaluations — especially when there is a question of mood disorder vs personality disorder, neurodevelopmental conditions, or substance use, an in-person assessment gives the psychiatrist more clinical information.
- Treatments that require physical presence — TMS therapy and Spravato can only be administered in person at our Elmwood Park, Oakhurst, or other relevant office.
- Patients in crisis — acute safety situations are usually better handled in person, or in some cases in an emergency setting.
- Children and adolescents — younger patients often benefit from the structure and engagement of an in-person visit.
- Patients without reliable private space or technology at home — you need a quiet, private room and a reliable internet connection to get the most out of a telepsychiatry visit.
Insurance and cost
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the major commercial insurance plans have all permanently extended telepsychiatry coverage at parity with in-person care. That means if your insurance covers a $30 copay for an in-person psychiatry visit, it covers a $30 copay for the same visit by video. Hamilton Behavioral is in-network with Aetna, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare/Oxford, AmeriHealth NJ, and Medicare for both telepsychiatry and in-person care.
You don’t have to pick just one
Most patients at Hamilton Behavioral end up using a mix: an in-person initial evaluation to establish the relationship, then a combination of in-person and video follow-ups depending on what is convenient that week. If your psychiatrist wants to see you in person for a particular visit, they will say so. Otherwise, you are usually free to choose.
Getting started
To schedule an initial visit by telepsychiatry or in person at one of our four NJ offices, call 1-800-883-7556 or visit our contact page. You can also learn more about our telepsychiatry program.
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