Jose Vazquez, MD, Chairman of the PHCS Department of Psychiatry, and Neal Schofield, MD, Vice Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Medical Director of PHBH Inpatient Operations, have been instrumental in the implementation of telepsychiatry at PHBH.

Telepsychiatry

Princeton House Behavioral Health (PHBH), in conjunction with the Princeton HealthCare System Emergency Department, has established an active telepsychiatry program.  

Using this system, psychiatrists can directly assess Emergency Department patients requiring psychiatric evaluation, while remaining either on-site at PHBH or through an external, remote log-in. The process is available through two-way computer video and audio connections between the psychiatrist in one location; and the patient, in another.  It is an adaptable format to a number of different applications.

This service improvement has enhanced the experience and perception of emergency room patients by increasing responsiveness to their psychiatric needs while also decreasing wait times, especially in the evening and overnight hours, when face-to-face psychiatric coverage is traditionally most difficult to obtain.

Having established successful protocols in our program, we are making this resource/technology accessible to other regional facilities through direct contract with Princeton House Behavioral Health.

For questions about telepsychiatry, please contact Ken Tedesco, Director of External Programs, at 609.688.3218 or ktedesco@princetonhcs.org. 

Ken Tedesco, Director of External Programs