Telepsychiatry in a Rural Inpatient Psychiatric Hospital: A Model for Expanding Access to High-Quality Care

The rising prevalence of mental health crises in the United States highlights the need for innovative care models. One such model uses faculty from an academic medical center to staff rural inpatient psychiatric units via telepsychiatry. This column reviews such a partnership within an affiliated health system (in-person care: N=1,064; virtual care: N=722). The authors highlight changes in unit workflow and review administrative, financial, and satisfaction outcomes. The findings suggest that telepsychiatry might provide an effective approach to extending high-quality inpatient psychiatric care to underserved rural populations, offering a viable solution to psychiatric provider shortages. Further research is necessary to confirm these findings.