Brandywine Hospital Launches Telemedicine In Psychiatry Treatment

COATESVILLE, PA — Brandywine Hospital has expanded access to much-needed psychiatry services in Chester County with the introduction of telemedicine for psychiatry patients.

Brandywine Hospital-Tower Health began offering the service among inpatients at Tower Health’s Phoenixville Hospital in July 2020, following shortly thereafter for inpatients at Tower Health’s Jennersville Hospital, according to a news release from the hospital.

In February Telemedicine for Psychiatry was made available at two Coatesville nursing homes; Harrison Senior Living and Freedom Village. The hospital plans to add more nursing homes soon, it said.

The news release explained the appointment is ordered by a referring physician through the Epic electronic health record, and once scheduled, the appointment happens via an iPad. The psychiatry consultation includes taking the patient’s medical and psychiatric history, making a risk assessment, with the outcome of recommendations for outpatient care, medication, and/or inpatient care.

Wei Du, M.D., Chair of Psychiatry at Brandywine Hospital, said, "The use of this new technology is ideal for psychiatry. Among the many changes this pandemic has brought to our lives is the heightened awareness of the importance of behavioral health to our overall wellbeing. Psychiatry services in Chester County are limited, and through telemedicine, we are able to significantly increase access to psychiatry services."

The benefits of telemedicine for psychiatry services include a reduction in unnecessary visits to emergency departments, closer oversight of patients taking psychotropic medications for potential side effects, and improved continuity of care, the hospital said.

More information about Brandywine Behavioral Health Services can be found here.