Virtual care helps transform a health system’s approach to behavioral health care, giving their communities and providers much needed support. However, there are several considerations to keep in mind when it comes to virtual behavioral health integration.   In a webinar hosted by Becker’s Hospital Review, healthcare leaders from Elliot Health System and Texas Health Resources shared their strategic and economic cases for behavioral health integration, insights into implementing virtual services into their organizations, and the benefits of integration.   Provider shortages ..read more

Half of all behavioral health conditions show initial signs before the age of 14, and 75% of behavioral health conditions begin before the age of 24. The need for access to quality behavioral health care has never been more important, and helping ensure children get care early is essential to their long-term well-being. Today, we can see the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the unprecedented amount of need and impact it had on children behaviorally and academically. And due to the provider shortage, we’re still catching up. Fortunately, kids are back in school, they have structure and th ..read more

In many rural areas across the U.S., and even in a lot of urban areas, there’s a significant lack of access to psychiatry or behavioral health services in general. Partially due to the ongoing (and worsening) psychiatry shortage, many healthcare organizations find it difficult to locate high-quality, local behavioral health providers to serve their communities. Those challenges compound when an organization needs more specialized care — like bilingual providers or providers who specialize in working with children or older populations. Fortunately, virtual behavioral health services can go a lo ..read more

Iris clinicians are at the heart of what makes our organization such a special place to work. That’s why we’re turning the spotlight on the amazing work they’re doing every day. This month, we’re sitting down to talk with Dr. Sophie Feller.    Q. How did you find Iris and decide you wanted to be an Iris provider? A. I was looking at different telehealth companies and Iris was one of the top companies that popped up. I kept seeing the name and I became more curious. I looked at the website and then I had the opportunity to interview. It felt like a very organic process. I had hea ..read more

Behavioral health is an essential part of care, and helping ensure your health system is equipped with the clinicians you need, high-quality services, and a support team to help provide guidance and help track and improve metrics are all key components of a successful behavioral health approach. In this blog, we outline the five ways health systems can optimize the behavioral health services at their organization. 1. Create a holistic strategy across all patient journeys and sites of care and define what success is for your health system There are a few scenarios that underscore the importance ..read more

In a webinar hosted by Iris Telehealth Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Thomas Milam, Beth Engelhorn, Executive Director of Southside Behavioral Health in South Central Virginia and Iris provider Dale McQueeney, PMHNP, shared how virtual services can help optimize care delivery for patients experiencing substance use disorders (SUDs). This blog breaks down the core takeaways of that webinar to look at the current state of the opioid epidemic and the role of virtual MAT programs in the crisis. The leading percentage of overdoses derive from illegally made fentanyl For decades now, communities across ..read more

When health systems work to implement a new platform, not only do they need to ensure new platforms integrate into their current technologies, but they also must get team buy-in and ensure it makes their workflows and systems easier — not more complicated. For their behavioral health services in particular, many health systems rely on telehealth to help them reach patients. However, not all platforms are created equal and there’s much to consider when choosing which partner or platform to integrate across your organization. In this blog, we will walk through how hospitals are addressing behavi ..read more

Certified Community Behavioral Health Centers (CCBHCs) are required to meet a strict set of standards to ensure high-quality, timely care for their patients. But, they don’t have to tackle these exacting standards by themselves. For organizations looking to increase access for their communities and deliver quality behavioral health services, having a partner they can lean on to help track and effectively leverage data can be a strategic benefit. In this blog, we’ll look at how a quality-focused, virtual behavioral health partnership can help CCBHCs meet their metrics and set new standards for ..read more

Iris clinicians are at the heart of what makes our organization such a special place to work. That’s why we’re turning the spotlight on the amazing work they’re doing every day. This month, we’re sitting down to talk with Dr. Heather Geis. Q. How did you find Iris and decide you wanted to be an Iris provider? A. I wanted to do telehealth even before the pandemic. I’m in my sixties, I hadn’t tried it and thought it would be fun. I googled telehealth and Iris kept coming up as one of the best places to work, I contacted them, had an interview, and they hired me. It was very exciting! Q. How does ..read more

In many rural areas across the U.S., and even in a lot of urban areas, there’s a significant lack of access to psychiatry or behavioral health services in general. Partially due to the ongoing (and worsening) psychiatry shortage, many healthcare organizations find it difficult to locate high-quality, local behavioral health providers to serve their communities. Those challenges compound when an organization needs more specialized care — like bilingual providers or providers who specialize in working with children or older populations. Fortunately, virtual behavioral health services can go a lo ..read more