MVP Health Care adds psychiatry services to telemedicine offerings

“The problem of access is even more exacerbated in our more rural communities and we did not want that to be a barrier for people getting the care they might need, so we added in the psychiatric component,” says Feld.

Feld says many MVP members aren’t able to seek psychiatric treatment due to limited availability of in-person appointments and transportation issues, or a reluctance to seek help in an office setting because of a “perceived stigma” attached to seek behavioral-health care.

The online psychiatric visit includes an initial evaluation of the member to determine a diagnosis and “often” results in recommendations for care that may also include a referral to a therapist. This service might also result in a prescription for the member when needed but does not include prescribing controlled substances, per MVP.

In addition to psychiatry services, members can also use myVisitNow to connect with behavioral-health therapists. Behavioral-health therapy promotes well-being by preventing or intervening in mental health conditions, such as depression or anxiety, and by providing support for individuals with a range of addictions, for example. Clinical psychologists and social workers listen, offer coaching, and help direct patients to the care they need, the health insurer says.

MVP contends its telemedicine benefit is “different” from many of those offered by other insurers “in the breadth of services offered.” It is available to members of all its fully insured plans, along with its Medicare, Medicaid, and Essential Plan members. 

Schenectady–based MVP Health Care insures nearly 60,000 people in Central New York, according to the 2017 Book of Lists. It has about 100,000 members in New York’s individual and small-group markets.

Altogether, the health insurer services more than 700,000 members in New York and Vermont.           

“The problem of access is even more exacerbated in our more rural communities and we did not want that to be a barrier for people getting the care they might need, so we added in the psychiatric component,” says Feld.

Feld says many MVP members aren’t able to seek psychiatric treatment due to limited availability of in-person appointments and transportation issues, or a reluctance to seek help in an office setting because of a “perceived stigma” attached to seek behavioral-health care.

The online psychiatric visit includes an initial evaluation of the member to determine a diagnosis and “often” results in recommendations for care that may also include a referral to a therapist. This service might also result in a prescription for the member when needed but does not include prescribing controlled substances, per MVP.

In addition to psychiatry services, members can also use myVisitNow to connect with behavioral-health therapists. Behavioral-health therapy promotes well-being by preventing or intervening in mental health conditions, such as depression or anxiety, and by providing support for individuals with a range of addictions, for example. Clinical psychologists and social workers listen, offer coaching, and help direct patients to the care they need, the health insurer says.

MVP contends its telemedicine benefit is “different” from many of those offered by other insurers “in the breadth of services offered.” It is available to members of all its fully insured plans, along with its Medicare, Medicaid, and Essential Plan members. 

Schenectady–based MVP Health Care insures nearly 60,000 people in Central New York, according to the 2017 Book of Lists. It has about 100,000 members in New York’s individual and small-group markets.

Altogether, the health insurer services more than 700,000 members in New York and Vermont.