Specialists On Call, Inc., the nation’s leading provider of clinical telemedicine services to acute care hospitals, announced that it has reached a milestone 50,000 psychiatry consultations delivered to patients across the United States. The patient was under the care of SOC partner hospital The Medical Center, Navicent Health in Macon, GA on June 20, 2016 when an SOC psychiatrist was requested to support the patient’s care via telemedicine. The partnership between SOC and Navicent Health allows for better management of behavioral health needs within central Georgia’s patient population, and has already successfully supported care delivery to over 300 patients per year.

"It has been only five years since we launched our Psychiatry service line, and reaching this milestone indicates the tremendous need for experienced clinicians to address our nation’s behavioral health challenges," said Dr. Til Jolly, Chief Medical Officer of Specialists On Call. "Every day, we work closely with our partner hospitals, including The Medical Center, Navicent Health, to provide access to physicians where they are needed the most."

“As a tertiary hospital serving rural and underserved portions of our state, we have seen firsthand the numerous benefits that telemedicine and technology offer to patients and their families. Through our partnership with Specialists On Call, Navicent Health is better able to serve behavioral health patients in the right place – close to home – at the right time and for the right cost. Through telemedicine, patients are able to receive needed services and personalized care in a timely manner,” said Dr. Ninfa M. Saunders, President and CEO of Navicent Health.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the number of discharges with psychoses as the first-listed diagnosis is 1.5 million per year, with an average length of stay for mental disorders of 7.2 days, illustrating the strain that U.S. hospitals are under in caring for patients afflicted with mental health disorders. SOC work with hospitals and health systems, like Navicent Health, across the country to evaluate patients with all psychiatric disorders to help reduce treatment and LOS times, while reducing overcrowding in emergency departments and the associated security risks and costs.

SOC is currently an Educational Underwriter and presenter, as well as an exhibitor at the mHealth + Telehealth World 2016 event, July 24-26, 2016 in Boston, MA.