Telepsychiatry

Telepsychiatry gives you the freedom of getting mental health care at home or wherever you happen to be when it’s time for your appointment. The team at HumuHealth Psychiatry: Olukemi Kuku, DNP, PMHNP, offers nearly all the services available in the office through virtual telepsychiatry. You can use telepsychiatry for therapy, medication management, and psychiatric assessments. To learn how to schedule a telepsychiatry appointment, call the office in Fairfield or Pleasant Hill, California, or try the online booking feature today.

What is telepsychiatry?

Telepsychiatry gives you options about where you receive your mental health and psychiatry services. When you choose telepsychiatry, you can skip traveling to the office or paying for childcare because you can meet with your provider from the comfort of your home.

During telepsychiatry, you have a face-to-face video conference with your HumuHealth Psychiatry: Olukemi Kuku, DNP, PMHNP, provider using your computer, tablet, or smartphone. This approach gives you the freedom of getting the mental health care you need without worrying about the many challenges that make it hard to keep in-person appointments.

What services can I get through telepsychiatry?

You get all the same services through telepsychiatry as you would at the office:

Initial consultation and psychiatric evaluation

New patients can have their first intake appointment through telepsychiatry. You only need to complete the forms needed for your medical history and insurance information and submit them online. Then your provider schedules a time for your appointment and tells you how to connect.

Your telepsychiatry meeting is just like going to the office. Your provider reviews your medical history, learns about your symptoms, completes a psychiatric evaluation, and diagnoses your mental health condition.

Medication management

Your provider prescribes psychiatric medications during your virtual appointment, then sends the prescription to your pharmacy. You can also have your follow-up medication management appointments through videoconferencing.

However, there is at least one exception. If you need Suboxone® to detox from opioids, you must take your first dose in the office. It’s essential for your provider to be with you as you start your detox to monitor your health and be sure you have the right dose of medication. After your first treatment, you can take the medication at home.

Therapy

Therapy is an essential part of your treatment for most mental health disorders. You can get all the therapy you need to improve your life through telepsychiatry.

Does insurance cover telepsychiatry?

Under the current law, California requires health insurance providers to pay for telepsychiatry when delivered through face-to-face videoconferencing. Some insurance providers may cover telepsychiatry over the phone. However, it’s not required by law. California Medicaid and Medicare also cover most telepsychiatry services.

To learn how to arrange a telepsychiatry appointment, call HumuHealth Psychiatry: Olukemi Kuku, DNP, PMHNP, and the team will give you the information you need to connect. If you need immediate mental health care, you can also schedule an in-person appointment and then get the rest of your follow-up care virtually.