Getting Started with Telehealth
Telehealth is a convenient and time-saving option for psychotherapy that has proven through research to be as effective as face-to-face therapy for many patients. Through audio and video over the internet, you can meet with your clinician on-the-go from your desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile device. Telehealth allows us to connect anywhere with secure and convenient appointments that save you time and hassle. There's no need to deal with traffic when you can schedule and attend your appointments directly from your home or office. Telehealth sessions are conducted via our HIPAA-compliant secure online portal.
Benefits of Telehealth
Time and stress reduced from not driving to and from therapy appointments
Patient privacy strengthened by not attending a physical office
Homebound patients have access to services without paying a premium for home visits
Access to therapy even when on business trips or vacation
Consistency in therapeutic progress by the ability to still attend therapy in spite of illness, work conflicts, or personal schedule
Patients with limited access to quality care have the opportunity to work with a clinician who may be more experienced or knowledgeable for their situation
Getting Setup
This guide includes basic tips and instructions on how to join a video appointment, as well as some FAQs to make your first video call a success. To prepare, please review the following information before your first video appointment.
What equipment do I need?
To participate in Telehealth appointments from your home, you will need one of the following devices:
Desktop computer with a webcam, speakers, a 2.5 GHz processor, and 4 GB of RAM
Laptop computer with built-in webcam and speakers, a 2.5 GHz processor, and 4 GB of RAM
Tablet device with built-in webcam and speakers
Smartphone with at least iOS 11 or Android 7.0
For the best quality audio and video, your download and upload rates should be 1.5 Mbps or higher. You can check the speed and performance of your Internet connection using FAST.com.
The day of the call
Make sure that you're connected to a strong, secured Wi-Fi signal. If you're joining a telehealth session on your phone, connect to Wi-Fi instead of using cellular data, if possible.
Be sure that you're using an up-to-date web browser, such as the latest version of Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Apple Safari, or Mozilla Firefox. Please note that you cannot join telehealth sessions using Internet Explorer.
There’s no need to download another application on your computer or mobile device. However, this does mean that your device needs to have permission to use your camera and microphone. If you see a message asking for access to your camera and microphone, please grant this permission.
Prior to your appointment, you'll receive an email and/or text message with a link to your appointment.
Note: There may be a slight delay for me to join the appointment if I am finishing with a previous appointment. Please be patient and I will join momentarily.
Telehealth FAQs
WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I DIDN’T GET THE REMINDER WITH THE LINK?
Contact me if you did not get the link so I can send it to you via email or secure messaging.
WHAT CAN I DO TO DO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF THE CONNECTION?
If you live in an area with slow internet, this can really affect the speed of your connection. Here are some basic steps that can improve the overall quality:
Use wired Ethernet instead of wifi whenever possible. Wifi will work, but you may experience a lag and interference, which can make your video and audio choppy. If you experience a lag or interference while using Wifi, I recommend moving closer to your router. However, wired internet will give you a much smoother, more consistent experience.
Close other programs. If you have several programs running in the background, closing them will almost certainly improve the quality. Also, make sure you’re not downloading any large files.
Turn off your video stream. When your video is turned on, there's more strain on your internet connection which may impact the audio quality during a Telehealth session. If your audio becomes choppy, your connection may not be strong enough to support a live video stream. Turning off your camera, may help to improve the audio quality of the call.
If you are unable to connect, please contact me as soon as possible to see if I can help you troubleshoot.
HOW SHOULD I PREPARE MY SPACE FOR A TELEHEALTH APPOINTMENT?
Identify a suitable room that is quiet, private, and free of distractions.
To keep background noise to a minimum, make sure to close any doors, shut windows, turn off the television, and keep loud pets in another room if possible. Consider hanging a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door to avoid interruptions.
IS TELEHEALTH PRIVATE?
Just like a face-to-face appointment, your Telehealth visit will be private and confidential.
WILL THE APPOINTMENTS BE RECORDED?
None of our appointments will ever be recorded or stored. You must agree not to record sessions on your end as well prior to using the telehealth platform.
INSURANCE INFO
I am in-network with Aetna PPO, Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) PPO, Molina Marketplace, and Traditional Medicare. I am out of network with all other plans. Upon request, I am happy to submit out-of-network claims on your behalf.