The APA, in conjunction with the American Telemedicine Association, has just released Best Practices in Videoconferencing-Based Telemental Health, a guide for mental health providers who want to begin doing telemental health, including telepsychiatry. The guide was co-authored by a joint writing group comprised of members of the APA's Committee on Telepsychiatry and the ATA's Telemental Health Special Interest Group (SIG). It is a consolidated update of previously published APA and ATA resources in telemental health and provides an overview of the use of clinical videoconferencing as a treatment medium.

The guide is intended to assist providers in providing effective and safe medical care founded on expert consensus, research evidence, available resources, and patient needs. The document itself considers administrative, technical, and clinical issues when doing telemental health and lists key references for further reading for those seeking a deeper dive into these issues.

For an overview of this new resource, be sure to attend its premiere session at the 2018 APA Annual Meeting in New York City:

• Telepsychiatry Best Practices: Joint American Psychiatric Association and American Telemedicine Association Committee Recommendations
•  Sunday, May 6
•  1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
•  Room 1A10, Javits Center

Also, be sure to check out other sessions on telepsychiatry featuring members of APA's Committee on Telepsychiatry. For more information on these sessions, be sure to download the APA Annual Meeting App:

• • Digitally Driven Integrated Primary Care and Behavioral Health: How Technology Can Expand Access to Effective Treatment
  •  Saturday, May 5
  •  1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
  •  Room 1E06, Javits Center
• • Telepsychiatry and Mental Health Technologies
  •  Saturday, May 5
  •  8:00 – 11:00 a.m.
  •  Room 1A08, Javits Center
• • Creating a Flexible, Integrated Approach to Outreach Psychiatry: Models Based on Innovation, Evidence, and Interdisciplinary Collaboration
  •  Saturday, May 5
  •  1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
  •  Rooms 2D04/05, Javits Center
• • Training Psychiatrists of the New Millennium
  •  Sunday, May 6
  •  8:00 – 11:00 a.m.
  •  Rooms 1D05/06, Javits Center
• • Telepsychiatry Roundtable
  •  Monday, May 7
  •  9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
  •  Mental Health Innovation Zone, Exhibit Hall
• • Innovations in the Treatment of Persons with ID and Psychiatric/Behavioral Disorders? Point Versus Counterpoint
  •  Wednesday, May 9
  •  8:00 – 11:00 a.m.
  •  Shubert/Uris/Plymouth, Marriott Marquis
• • Digital Mental Health Innovations for Minority Populations: A Potential Solution to Fulfill Unmet Needs
  •  Wednesday, May 9
  •  8:00 – 9:30 a.m.
  •  Rooms 1A04/05, Javits Center