•  Malpractice Issues
•  Jay Shore, M.D., M.P.H.

When providing clinical care, psychiatrists are required to have malpractice insurance. This remains true when practicing using telepsychiatry. There are a couple of unique considerations regarding malpractice coverage for telepsychiatry versus traditional care:

• Some malpractice providers cover telepsychiatry as part of their standard coverage. Other malpractice carriers have additional policies and may require additional coverage for when providing telepsychiatry services.
• Some companies offer coverage that includes the practice of telepsychiatry, whereas some carriers require the purchase of additional coverage for telepsychiatry on top of existing insurance.
• Prior to engaging in the provision of telepsychiatric care, the psychiatrist should check if the specific telepsychiatry services that they will be engaged in are covered by their existing malpractice carrier.

References

1. APA Resource Document on Telepsychiatry and Related Technologies in Clinical Psychiatry