The Asbury Park (NJ) Press (1/12, Ash) reports that in New Jersey, “As the ranks of psychiatrists dwindle, hospitals statewide are turning to telepsychiatry to screen emergency room patients during off-hours — weekday nights and weekends. Not because they want to, they say, but because it is the only way to get the job done.”
Currently, “of the 21 state-designated mental health screening centers in New Jersey — one in each county — 10 use telepsych services now, according to the state Department of Human Services.” Telepsychiatry is used in emergency departments to perform psychiatric evaluations of patients who may need to be hospitalized involuntarily, the article explains.