Your hospital can meet the demand the growing need for behavioral health with a TelePsychiatry program that provides counseling expertise to your patients, no matter where you are. In the US, one out of five American adults experience a mental illness every year.
There are about 30,000 practicing psychiatrists in the US, according to Merritt Hawkins, a large physician search firm. Given current demand for mental health services, the same organizations estimates that we need 15 psychiatrists per 100,000 people. Today there are about 9 psychiatrists per 100,000 people.
But the problem is bigger in rural communities and small-to-midsized cities. In these locations, there are often no practicing psychiatrists. A 2017 New American Economy report indicated that there are no psychiatric physicians in 60% of counties across the country.