Tele-mental health is one of the most popular forms of telemedicine.  The technology has been practiced for over 40 years. Tele-mental health is primarily used as a tool for treatment in post traumatic stress disorder, or “PTSD,” providing counseling services in rural areas and offering health medication management for institutionalized patients.

As penetration of communications technology deepens, Tele-mental health gains popularity. A number of payers and health services are starting to offer Tele-mental health service benefits and may soon adopt these guidelines as their basis for coverage.

To facilitate a uniform and effective Tele-mental health practices, the American Telemedicine Association (News - Alert), or “ATA,” recently announced the availability of formal practice guidelines for the use of videoconferencing for the delivery of mental health services. 

According to officials at ATA, these guidelines will form the basis for the development and practice of uniform, effective, safe and sustainable Tele-mental health practices. They will serve as both an operational reference and an educational tool to aid in providing appropriate care for patients, ATA officials said.

“The guidelines focus on the use of two-way, interactive videoconferencing in the delivery of Tele-mental health services, which now has an abundance of significant research documenting its effectiveness as well as a comparison of outcomes between various approaches used in its delivery,” ATA officials said. Other modalities such as the use of telephones and email are not addressed in this document.

The guidelines were developed based on an evidence-based compendium of empirical research. Both the evidence-based document and practice guidelines were developed by panels composed of experts from the field, representatives from relevant medical societies and other strategic stakeholders. 

The guidelines and standards generated by ATA have undergone a thorough consensus, a period of public comment and rigorous review, with final approval by the ATA Board of Directors, ATA officials said.

Established in 1993 as a non-profit organization, the American Telemedicine Association promotes access to medical care for consumers and health professionals via telecommunications technology. ATA brings together diverse groups from traditional medicine, academic medical centers, technology and telecommunications companies, medical societies, government and others to overcome barriers to the advancement of telemedicine. 

Telehealth services are in great demand in North America. Datamonitor, a provider of online database and analysis services, forecasts that annual spending on telehealth hardware, software and related services will triple over the next three years to $ 6.1 billion from the present rate of $ 2.4 billion.

In a noteworthy development, Verizon (News - Alert) recently introduced a portfolio of Telehealth Collaboration Services which enables health care providers to consult remotely with patients and other providers and also provide medical education and training to medical professionals.