PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island (WPRI) — A year-old law has been belatedly implemented, giving Rhode Islanders access to thousands of psychologists across the country starting Saturday.
On July 1, Rhode Island will formally join the Interjurisdictional Agreement on Psychology. Saipactan interstate organization that enables psychologists to provide telemedicine therapy outside of licensed states.
By participating, Rhode Island will allow residents to receive therapy from out-of-state psychologists who offer their services online. Rhode Island-based therapists will also be able to apply for permission to see out-of-state clients via telemedicine, or even conduct virtual interviews with Rhode Islanders if the client or therapist is out-of-state. become.
Narragansett Democratic State Senator Alana DiMario, a certified therapist, sponsored a 2022 law granting the RI Department of Health permission to participate in PSYPACT. She said the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that telemedicine can be a “piece of the puzzle” in making all kinds of care more accessible.
For patients, DiMario said, “it will give them more options, not only because they have an area of expertise that will help them, but also because they can definitely find someone they can connect with in that area.” Individual level is very important. ”
The new treatment option comes amid growing concerns about mental health among people of all ages. The latest National Survey on Substance Use and Health showed that 25.9% of adults in Rhode Island will have experienced some form of mental illness in 2021.
“We expect this to be very helpful as there are waiting lists for all levels of care,” Rhode Island Mental Health Association Executive Director Laurie Marie Pisciotta told 12 News.
“The expanded network of providers available to Rhode Islanders through interstate agreements means we can probably find people who aren’t on a waiting list who aren’t based in Rhode Island, so we can serve them sooner. I will,” she said.
Rhode Island is 36th state PSYPACT began state registration in 2016, but did not begin operations until the summer of 2020. Rhode Island was originally scheduled to begin participating in January, but it took another seven months for the state to complete the regulation.
The Massachusetts legislature is currently considering a bill to bring the state into PSYPACT. Connecticut signed it last fall.
Health Department spokesman Joseph Wendelken said Rhode Islanders will be allowed to use PSYPACT providers starting Saturday, but the Department of Health is “still finalizing an implementation plan on our side.”
In an email, Wendelken said, “We will be publicizing how people can receive psychologist care in this new way, and there will be clear information available online for people to refer to. I plan to,” he said. “This is in addition to sending notices to our licensees in Rhode Island. We expect all of this to roll out in the coming weeks.”
DiMario said expanding telemedicine options could be especially helpful for people living in places with limited numbers of local health care providers.
“For my voters on Block Island, telemedicine is an absolute lifesaver,” she said. “This is her one of the ways people primarily access care. So the fact that they can potentially expand the pool of people they can meet is truly life-changing.”
Other efforts are underway to make mental health services more widely available to Rhode Islanders.
PSYPACT is intended for licensed psychologists only and not for other categories of therapists such as licensed clinical social workers (LCSW), licensed mental health counselors (LMHC), and licensed professional counselors (LPC). An interstate agreement for counselors is also in the works, DiMario said.
Separately, at this year’s general meeting, the state legislature asked the Director’s Office of Health Insurance to complete by March next year a study examining the reimbursement rates Rhode Island’s commercial health insurers currently pay to mental health professionals. approved a resolution directing the
Ted Neshi ([email protected]) is an investigative reporter for Target 12 and political/business editor for 12 News. He is co-host of his Newsmakers and writes his Nesi’s Notes on Saturdays.connect with him at twitter and Facebook.
