Robin Shannon, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, describes the patient intake process for her virtual telemedicine practice.
Each new patient at Shannon Psychiatry goes through the same intake process. Patient intake refers to the process in which I gather information about you, including your medical, payment, demographic, and contact information.
I have refined this process to make sure it is easy, efficient, and clear. The intake process is different for every provider, if you have any questions about Shannon Psychiatry’s process, do not hesitate to contact me directly.
Getting Started- Pre-Screen Phone Registration
Patients can either contact Shannon Psychiatry directly or get a referral from their primary care provider or therapist. After this first contact has been made, we set up a pre-screen phone registration. This is not an intake visit (which will come later), but rather a brief, ten to fifteen-minute phone call to establish a good fit, both for the patient and the practice. During this first phone call, you, the patient, will briefly describe why you are interested in psychiatric services. After this information is shared, I will begin your registration!
Registration Process
During the pre-screen phone call, I will take down your name, email, and phone number to add you to my EHR (electronic health record). I will also send a link that directs you to fill out the intake paperwork and your payment information. These forms do not need to be filled out while we are on this pre-screen call, but they must be filled out before our first visit. This step is designed to be seamless, and I will make sure you receive all the proper forms before we schedule our first telehealth face-to-face appointment- what we refer to as a new patient intake visit.
Scheduling a New Patient Intake Visit
While we are still on the pre-screen phone call, I will schedule you for the next available appointment time that works for you. After this, you will be on my calendar and nearly prepared for your first visit! Again, before your appointment, you do need to have all the intake paperwork filled out and credit card information filled out, or the visit cannot start. Before this appointment, you will get a Televisit link in your email, about 24 to 48 hours prior to your visit. This link will bring you to our virtual meeting, be sure to click it at our scheduled appointment time to start the visit! This brief timeline between our initial interaction and our first visit is one of the many benefits of virtual care for mental health.
Your First Visit
Intake visits are 60-75 min in length, giving adequate time for a proper evaluation and assessment. During the intake, I collect information through a timeline of history starting at childhood and we work our way up to the present. I then assess various psychiatric areas. Then I get a brief social and medical history. We conclude by coming up with a treatment plan together. This process should be a collaboration, not one way. If you are interested in learning more about what this visit entails, there is more information to be found here.
I hope this blog has helped to answer your questions about how to begin virtual psychiatric services with Shannon Psychiatry. I am more than happy to answer anything I may not have covered. Feel free to reach out to me if you are interested in beginning this process, or simply have additional questions for me. I look forward to hearing from you!