Telepsychiatry Skype with Patients: Help Or Hype?

The telemedicine experts at CloudVisit(TM) explain the risks of using Skype video conference for online doctor-patient connectivity

COLD SPRING, N.Y., Nov. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Telemedicine is taking the healthcare industry by storm. Patients rely on the internet 24/7 for nearly everything on their to-do list, and they're beginning to demand the same accessibility of their physicians. With government healthcare changes just around the corner, telepsychiatry patient care may soon be the preferred channel for mental health patients to receive top medical care. Patient access to physicians online will be a must. But how? And is Skype a viable telepsychiatry software option for online video chat with patients?

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121129/NY21269 )

The answer is "No" and the reasons are very clear. "Skyping with patients adds no healthcare value and it jeopardizes the very framework of a successful medical practice," cautions Daniel Gilbert, CEO and President of CloudVisitTM, innovators in the field of telemedicine and telepsychiatry. Their CloudVisitTM Psychiatry platform currently connects psychiatrists and psychologists with patients for HIPAA-compliant online video therapy.

Skype Compromises Your Professionalism
Just ask your daughter in college or the kid next door – Skype is nothing more than a social media craze like Facebook or FaceTime. The premise of their product is free internet calls and cheap calls to friends and family. While their website may lead you to consider potential business applications, their service provides no added value in professionalism or medical expertise.

CloudVisitTM Is Professional
"CloudVisitTM fortifies a practice's brand identity and their medical professionalism with comprehensive, medically-minded features," says Gilbert. This affordable solution lets you manage online availability, session pricing, and patient records. Patients are automatically billed for online appointments and all patient interaction and treatment notes securely recorded with HIPAA-compliant security measures.

Skype Lacks Profitability
If you meet with a patient online via Skype, how will you bill them for the appointment? How will your staff keep track of past online appointments and verify that payment was received? Skype, like email or phone calls, is just another free way for patients to interrupt your day and your productivity with that "one quick question." With Skype, your medical expertise becomes further diluted right along with your bottom line.

CloudVisitTMCreates Profit
With convenient appointment scheduling CloudVisitTM helps you easily manage and track appointments. What's more, every time you confirm a patient appointment their credit card is automatically billed. You determine appointment rates and the profit is automatically deposited into your account twice a month. "We help you turn availability into profitability," adds Gilbert.

Skype Offers Almost No Privacy
Being available when your patients need you is an oath of practice, but your dedication shouldn't preclude your privacy. By joining Skype and inviting patients into your Skype network, you become permanently connected friends. Your "friends" can then potentially see your every move and can interrupt your day as soon as they see you log on. There's no scheduling and no control.

CloudVisitTM Ensures Your Privacy
CloudVisitTM was designed for professional, private online video sessions between doctors and patients. Gilbert explains, "Every feature of the CloudVisitTM platform was created with a medical practice in mind. Patient privacy and physician privacy are continually preserved and each encounter has the professional context necessary for quality medical care."

Telemedicine is drastically improving patient access to quality, dependable healthcare. But not all online video connections are created equal and the choice you make will have a significant impact on the care you provide, your patients' wellbeing, and the long-term success of your practice.

Find out more about the ease and affordability of CloudVisitTM available for psychiatrists and psychologists at http://psychiatry.cloudvisittm.com/. To better serve your patients and grow your psychiatry practice online, call 888-503-3009.

Related Videos:

Telepsychiatry Software Overview | CloudVisitTM Psychiatry  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNfAjzp6oXA

Related Links:

http://psychiatry.cloudvisittm.com/

SOURCE CloudVisit(TM)