From the LifeSize Communications Case Study:
Telemedicine pioneers JSA Health Telepsychiatry choose LifeSize HD video to expand business, allow doctors and patients to connect seamlessly for meaningful communication
JSA Health Telepsychiatry, Houston, Texas, USA
Imagine a 17-year-old girl having suicidal thoughts. A concerned relative takes her to the emergency room at the local hospital. Though professional care is certainly needed, emergency personnel are uncomfortable with how to care for her without access to a specialist. Unfortunately, like many facilities today, urban or rural, the hospital does not have a psychiatrist on the medical staff who can respond in-person to the emergency room. Without access to a specialist to assess the risk of suicide, the doctor is not comfortable releasing her. She sits in the E.R. for 36 hours, vulnerable and scared, before transfer to a mental health facility can be arranged.
In many cities across the nation, a shortage of mental health care professionals, especially in rural communities, has caused a significant number of patients to go without treatment or in extreme cases, wait days or weeks for psychiatric help.
JSA created a telemedicine model which provides fast, flexible, around-the-clock access to emergent, urgent and routine psychiatric evaluation for individuals in need. Founded in 2007 by internationally-recognized psychiatrists, JSA provides scheduled and emergency psychiatric care, with access to a team of child, adolescent, adult, and substance-abuse specialists.
