Rewiring Mental Health: Legal and Regulatory Solutions for the Effective Implementation of Telepsychiatry and Telemental Health Care
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This article examines the policy issues surrounding effective telepsychiatry adoption and use, with particular care given to issues discussed at the Broadband Prescriptions for Mental Health: A Policy Conference, presented by the Federal Communications Commission Connect2HealthFCC Task Force and the University of Houston Law Center Health Law & Policy Institute on May 18, 2016. The policy conference convened a diverse array of experts and stakeholders who identified emerging issues and opportunities in using the transformative power of broadband to connect consumers with mental health services.13 This article begins with a discussion of the critical need to improve mental health care access with an illustration of gaps and disparities in the mental health care delivery system in the United States. Part III confronts the complex legal and regulatory framework impacting telepsychiatric care at the federal and state levels. We discuss the impact of recent legal battles, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Connect2HealthFCC Task Force’s efforts to use the transformative power of broadband to connect consumers with mental health services, and emerging mental health technologies unveiled at the Broadband Prescriptions for Mental Health: A Policy Conference on mental health care access. Part IV addresses potential legal and regulatory hurdles impacting effective adoption of telemedicine and telehealth services for mental health patients with a targeted range of policy prescriptions to facilitate effective implementation of telepsychiatry and telemental health care services to improve mental health care access and outcomes.