To increase access and enhance mental health services provided by the state of New York, the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) in July issued guidance for the use of telepsychiatry.  In this guidance, the OMH states it will accept telehealth accreditation by a national accrediting organization as evidence of regulatory compliance for a subset of the regulations.

New York is the first state, to my knowledge, to use telehealth accreditation to augment their oversight of companies and clinicians providing telehealth services. This is a win not only for URAC but for patients who will receive increased access to much needed services with the confidence that continuous quality improvement is an organizational priority.

The new guidance allows clinics that are operated or overseen by OMH, to contract with a vendor company to provide telepsychiatry services. In the past, psychiatry services had to be provided directly by clinic staff. Given the shortage of mental health providers in the state, many patients simply were unable to have their needs met. OMH intends to remedy this issue by allowing clinics to leverage broader networks of providers through the use of telehealth technology.

The vendor companies that clinics may choose to contract with for telepsychiatry services are likely to be the national and regional telehealth providers such as Teladoc and Able2.
 
While New York sought to expand access, regulators wanted to ensure vendor companies provided high-quality care to patients. To achieve this, OMH requires clinics to request a waiver to contract with a vendor company for telepsychiatry and demonstrate how compliance with state requirements regarding quality will be met. If the telepsychiatry company has achieved telehealth accreditation from a national accrediting organization, then the state will consider the contract to have met certain regulatory requirements. OMH will evaluate each clinic waiver request, including the accreditation status of the vendor company, on an individual basis.

Working closely with OMH, URAC has demonstrated alignment with the state regulations referenced in the guidance. We’re confident that our Telehealth Accreditation will provide accredited organizations with reduced regulatory burden while ensuring quality care is delivered to patients.

URAC’s Telehealth Accreditation addresses the following areas that correspond with state requirements for the use of telepsychiatry services: 

• Clinical guidelines 
• General program procedures 
• Physical environment of physician/provider 
• Professional practice and clinical guidelines 
• Patient safety and emergency procedures 
• Risk Management 
• Appropriate technology practices 
• Confidentiality and protection of patient information 
• Staff credentialing 

States rarely like to go first, but they do love to copy one another and they hate being the last to adopt a trend. As telehealth becomes ubiquitous in healthcare, policymakers are beginning to shift their focus away from licensing and on quality of care delivered. While New York is the first to utilize telehealth accreditation, we will continue to work to ensure that it’s not the last.