Telehealth, Telemedicine

1. TELEHEALTH
Anna M. Baznik
CEO IMPOWER

2. ABOUT US
 Leading non-profit mental health and child well-being
organization
 Founded in 1994 rooted in Central Florida
 Primary services include mental health therapy, psychiatric
treatment, case management, adoptions, and independent living
 Services delivered in Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Brevard, Volusia
and Polk Counties
 Serve more than 9,000 individuals and families in the home,
school and community-based settings

3. Mental Health Needs Unmet
• 1 in 4 adults (approx. 61.5 million Americans)
experiences mental illness in a given year
• 1 in 5 youth ages 13 to 18 have severe mental health
disorders in a given year
• 50% of all chronic mental illness begins by age 14
• Approx. 60 % of adults & 50% of youth with mental
illness received no mental health services in the previous
year

4. Shortages in Mental Health Practitioners
• 89.3 million Americans live in federally-designated Mental Health Professional
Shortage Areas
• Data show a need for 25.9 Psychiatrists per 100,000 people to meet current
mental health crisis. National average is 10 per 100,000 people. Florida has
only 7 per 100,000 people.
• Average age of U.S. Psychiatrist is over 55

5. Why Telehealth? Why Now?
 Lack of Access to Treatment
 Affordable Care Act
 4 Million New in Florida to be Insured
 Rural / Geographic Challenges
 Insufficient Transportation
 Behavioral Health Well-Suited

6. Telephone
Computer
Smart Phone/Tablet
Kiosk
TELEHEALTH IS A SOLUTION

7. Our Pilot
 Developed P&Ps & Best Practices
 Informed Consent & Training Acknowledgement
 HIPAA Compliant Platform
 Trained Psychiatrists to use telehealth
 Went “live” in March 2013
 Over 650 Individual Sessions for Med. Mgt.
 In accordance w/ American Telemedicine Assoc.

8. IMPOWER’s FIRST TELEHEALTH RECIPIENT
March 29, 2013
“Allie” Age 9 with Dr. Cynthia Higgins

9. BENEFITS
Patients
• More Convenient
• Brings Care to Patient
• Increases Practitioner Selection
• Reduces Travel Time and Costs
• Improves Satisfaction in Health Care
• More Confidential
• Reduces Stigma
Providers
• Voluntary
• More Relaxed/Open Patient
• Reduces Delays & No Shows
• Increases Productivity
• Promotes Collaborative Care
• More Convenient
• Cuts down overhead and costs

10. • Spring of 2014, Rule 64B8-9.0141(4) F.A.C., prohibits physicians to prescribe
controlled substances via telehealth
• Problem: Many therapeutic drugs for ADHD in children are stimulants in
controlled drug classes
• Forced to cease all telehealth services
• Sought legal counsel, petitioned for variance, acquired waiver to resume
provision of med. mgt. services via telehealth in Oct. 2014.
• IMPOWER is the ONLY entity in FL whose practitioners can legally prescribe
non-narcotic controlled substances via telehealth

11. What’s Next?
Telehealth Service Expansion:
Practitioner Recruitment
 Commercial Insurances
 2015 FL Legislative Work
 Partnerships with physician practices, hospitals,
universities, group care facilities
Develop 24/7 access to servicess
 Internet business - Affordable self-pay services
Consulting services to assist other healthcare organizations to
develop telehealth programs

12. Questions??????
Stay Connected
www.impowerfl.org

13. References
 The National Alliance on Mental Illness - Mental Illness Facts
and Numbers, March 2013. The National Alliance on Mental
Illness 1 (800) 950-NAMI www.nami.org 3803 N. Fairfax
Drive, Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203
 Alison S. Cole, B.A., Psychiatric Service Provision n Broome
County: Concerns & Suggestions, Broome county Mental
Health Dept. SUNY at Binghamptom, Feb. 2007
 Kliff, Sarah, Seven Facts About America’s Mental Health Care
System, The Washington Post, Dec. 12, 2012