KY Health System to Expand Telebehavioral Healthcare Access

A recent collaboration between the University of Louisville Health's (UofL Health) Peace Hospital and UofL Physicians aims to integrate telehealth technology into behavioral health services through a program known as PeaceNow.

UofL Heath is a fully integrated regional academic health system in Louisville, Kentucky, comprising seven hospitals, four medical centers, almost 200 physician practice locations, and over 800 providers.

As described in an October 2022 panel discussion at Telehealth Awareness Week, hosted by the American Telemedicine Association, a group of mental healthcare physicians and program leaders went over the benefits of using telehealth for mental healthcare, particularly those experienced by patients and providers. Among the most significant benefits noted by the panel was telehealth's ability to increase access to care for underserved populations. They also noted that telehealth could support mental healthcare providers by reducing travel time. 

Through PeaceNow, physicians, school counselors, and social workers can leverage telehealth to refer patients for behavioral health assessments. Although the program is not intended to serve as a replacement for emergency care, it is expected to reduce wait times and increase the efficiency of care processes, according to the press release.

“The window of time when people are willing to accept behavioral health help is sometimes narrow,” said Kelly Gillooly, UofL Health system director of behavioral health, in a press release. “With PeaceNow, the 3-4 month waiting period has been reduced to days and eliminated in some cases. The virtual environment allows us to see many referred patients immediately or on the same day.”

Initially open only to referrals from UofL Physicians, the PeaceNow pilot program began in July 2022, serving more than 1,200 patients in the first six months. Now, referrals from all providers, mental health therapists, school counselors, and social workers within Jefferson County and other counties in the surrounding areas are accepted. There are plans to expand the program into Indiana.

Through PeaceNow, clinical psychologists and licensed therapists perform telebehavioral health assessments, along with virtual therapy, if necessary.

“The virtual assessment may not entirely replace the need for in-person therapy, but it is a critical new access point,” said Robert Caudill, MD, UofL Physicians-Psychiatry and Depression Center, in a press release. “By launching PeaceNow, we hope to make behavioral health more accessible and expedite the connection of patients to definitive care.”

With an age requirement of 12 and above, PeaceNow can help with numerous mental health concerns, including depression, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), substance use disorders, and bipolar disorder.

“Physical health and behavioral health cannot be separated. One influences the other and I see the impact of both with my patients,” said Traci Edwards, MD, UofL Physicians-Primary Care, in a press release. “Primary care physicians are ideally suited to refer for behavioral assessments since we know they already have the relationships, know the health history and are located all across the community.”

Similarly in July 2022, the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust provided NYC Health + Hospitals with a $3.9 million grant which they used to deploy a telemental health service.

NYC Health + Hospitals expanded its existing ExpressCare service, which provides virtual urgent care, to include telehealth-supported mental health services to treat conditions that need psychiatric support and provide substance use treatment.