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cartoon of Freud psychoanalyzing brain on couch since telemental health isn't available yet

Telemental Health Crosses State Lines

Over the last several years, the growth of the telemedicine industry and its elimination of geographic barriers have highlighted the impracticality of requiring medical care providers to be licensed in every single state in which their patients live. To overcome this expensive and time-consuming administrative work, several states have banded together to create licensure compacts in which the participating states recognize each other’s medical licenses as being valid within their borders. Perhaps the most well-known agreement is the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC) for physicians, although other types of medical providers have formed interstate bonds as well. Now, telemental health is about to receive a boost in popularity: The Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT) is almost ready to go live. Read more

human hands breaking up cigarette

Tele-Nicotine Can Help Patients Give Up Smoking

A recent pilot study found that telemedicine is effective at helping patients reduce or give up smoking. Dubbed “tele-nicotine”, the initiative at UT Southwestern’s Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center focused on smokers in a homeless shelter. Over the course of the program, one quarter of the participants reported that they had stopped smoking entirely, and another 25 percent significantly reduced their nicotine usage. Read more