Nearly 100,000 providers use Zocdoc to reach new patients, fill last-minute openings and bolster their online presence. Not only does Zocdoc save providers time (with things like convenient online scheduling for patients and intake forms), but it also helps them grow their practices. We’re spotlighting providers who have leveraged our platform to do just that.
Talkiatry is a national, virtual mental health practice that provides in-network psychiatry and therapy. It was founded by a triple-board-certified psychiatrist and a mental health advocate in 2020, when the pandemic significantly fueled an escalating mental health crisis. Today, the team includes over 300 psychiatrists serving patients in 43 markets and counting.
Here’s how Talkiatry leverages Zocdoc’s platform to acquire and retain new patients, propelling growth and advancing their mission to transform psychiatry with accessible, human and responsible care.
Increasing access to mental healthcare
While Americans have never needed psychiatric care more than they do today, it’s incredibly hard to find it. In fact, 75% of U.S. counties have severe psychiatrist shortages and 55% have no psychiatrists. Access to quality virtual care is key and Talkiatry aims to deliver a best-in-class approach with innovative technology and a human-centered approach.
With millions of patients searching for care on Zocdoc, Talkiatry joined the platform in March 2020 to connect with new patients searching for virtual mental healthcare providers.
Specifically, “Zocdoc helps introduce patients across the U.S. to our 300+ doctors, match their needs with our psychiatrists’ specialties, match their insurance with the hundreds of plans we accept, and find a virtual appointment within days,” says Dr. Georgia Gaveras, Talkiatry’s Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer.
How Talkiatry stands out
1. Providers have ample time to build strong therapeutic relationships.
While psychiatric appointments can sometimes feel rushed, that’s not the case with Talkiatry. First visits are a full 60 minutes, and follow-ups are typically 30 minutes. Platforms like Zocdoc that take care of administrative tasks can help free up time for providers to spend more time seeing patients. Verified reviews on Zocdoc also help foster trust and find the best patient-provider fit.
What’s more, Talkiatry has full-time, in-network therapists on staff. These therapists see patients who are also being seen by a psychiatrist, so the two clinicians can collaborate on care.
The results speak for themselves. Talkiatry recently fielded a study showing that after an average of 5 visits, 65% of patients with anxiety or depression no longer reported clinically significant symptoms.* These figures show what’s possible when patients and their psychiatrists work together over time.
2. Providers can see patients promptly.
Patients are overwhelmingly looking to book near-term appointments with mental healthcare providers. Talkiatry prides itself on offering virtual appointments within days. Patients book 32% of virtual mental health appointments on Zocdoc within 48 hours and 47% within 4 days. Since patients can see real-time availability and book 24/7 (even after hours when the office is closed) via mobile or desktop, Talkiatry can cast a wider net and serve more patients.
3. Major insurance plans are accepted.
One main barrier to accessing care is cost. Talkiatry accepts hundreds of insurance plans, alleviating the burden of dealing with insurers for providers and ensuring that more patients can be seen.
4. Top health systems are valued partners.
Talkiatry has patient referral relationships with major health systems and other mental healthcare practices, so that clinicians can collaborate on care with other specialists and provide the holistic care their patients need.
5. The future of mental healthcare is always top of mind.
In 2023, mental health companies of all stripes united to reject the DEA’s proposed rules on limiting the virtual prescribing of controlled substances. Dr. Georgia Gaveras discusses the path forward for telepsychiatry regarding the DEA’s decision in this op-ed. Moving forward, Talkiatry predicts that companies will continue to advocate for virtual prescribing of controlled substances within an updated set of common sense guidelines.
Talkiatry will continue to expand access to high-quality, personalized care. They aim to go in-network with more health insurance plans (adding to the 100+ plans already accepted) and are actively hiring more psychiatrists and therapists who want to make an impact. With a user-friendly platform like Zocdoc, patients can seamlessly find virtual psychiatric providers, access real-time availability and accepted insurance plans and effortlessly book appointments via desktop or mobile. This not only helps Talkiatry reach and retain new patients, but it also bolsters their mission –– to bridge the mental healthcare gap and deliver the highest quality care for everyone.
Stay tuned for more provider spotlights and consult with an enterprise sales representative to learn more about how Zocdoc can grow your business.
This article was developed in partnership with the provider group highlighted herein.
*Person C, O’Connor N, Koehler L, Venkatachalam K, Gaveras G; Evaluating Clinical Outcomes in Patients Being Treated Exclusively via Telepsychiatry: Retrospective Data Analysis; JMIR Form Res 2023;7:e53293; URL: https://formative.jmir.org/2023/1/e53293; DOI: 10.2196/53293.
Outcomes data based on retrospective study of de-identified data from 1,826 Talkiatry patients who completed GAD7 or PHQ8 at their first visit and one subsequent visit. The first visit was between 2/1/23 and 5/26/23. Symptom reduction calculated using MCID (Minimum Clinically Important Difference). ‘Not clinically significant defined’ as a GAD7/PHQ9 score less than 10.