How To Choose the Right Telepsychiatry Company to Join

Choosing a telepsychiatry company to join is a major decision. Pick something that's not a good fit, and now you have some real problems. 

The issue is, it's often hard to know. The company might look good on paper, but once you are inside, the red flags can start showing up fast: poor support, bad partners, rigid schedules, unfair contracts, high turnover, or a company that treats clinicians like a commodity instead of part of a team.

In this episode of The Telepsychiatry Advantage, Dr. Edward Kaftarian breaks down what psychiatrists and mental health clinicians should look for before joining a telepsychiatry company — and what warning signs should make them ask more questions before signing on.

For more information about Orbit Health, visit us at:
https://www.orbithealth.com/

Transcript

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We all make decisions in our lives. Some decisions are small, like what to eat for dinner. And if you mess that up, no big deal. You have another appetite, you have another meal coming. And then other decisions that are really big, like who are you going to marry? Like if you get that wrong, that could be a problem. Or are you going to have kids? Some people shouldn't have kids. Some people should have kids. And so that's a major decision that you want to make accurately for the needs that you have in your life. And one of the decisions that is very important is what are you going to do for a living? And most of you have chosen psychiatry. Most of you listening. I hope I'm assuming I don't have plumbers listening to this podcast. So psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, PAs, you've chosen mental health, psychiatry. And now it's time to decide on a telepsychiatry company because obviously telesychiatry is way better than in-person. It's just better. Okay, let's just face it. And now we have an array of telepsychiatry companies, and you want to decide which one to choose. Maybe it's beyond telesychiatry, maybe it's a telemedicine company, maybe it's a locum tenants. And so I'm going to tell you some of the things that I would look for if I was searching for a job working in telesychiatry. Of course, I'm biased because I'm the owner of Orbit Health Telepsychiatry, which is the best company, of course. And if you decide not to work with us, that's totally fine. But make sure to make a good choice. And I'm going to help you. Even if you decide not to work with Orbit, I'm going to help you make the right decision. So let's talk about the top 10 things that you want to look for in a telepsychiatry company. Number 10, a mental health focus. There are lots of companies out there that see the opportunity in mental health and they want to add that to whatever else they're doing. Like maybe they're doing mental health, podiatry, dermatology, maybe they're doing everything. And that could be a problem because psychiatry has specific workflows that are unique to psychiatry. And you want a company that specializes in, if not psychiatry, at least mental health, preferably psychiatry. But if you can't get a pure telepsychiatry company and it's more of a telemental health company, that's fine. But when you start talking to companies that do everything, and especially you locum tenants companies that want to serve a lot of different customers, different specialties, then that could be a problem because you're not going to have that specialized knowledge and wisdom and workflows that are important to make sure that your experience and the patient experience is top-notch. Make sure to choose either a company that specializes exclusively in psychiatry or at least in mental health. Number nine, size matters. Choosing a small company like a mom and pop shop has its problems because they often don't have the infrastructure and support to help you. And part of working with a telepsychiatry company that's a high quality one is that they give you support. I mean, who wants to work with a company that won't be there for you, that won't support you because they don't have the structure? And if the company is too small, then they might not have that structure in place and you won't get the help that you need. And it might not even be a safe place to work. They might not have all the appropriate insurances in place and some of the other things that make it a good workplace. On the other hand, you don't want a company that's going to be too big either, because if it's too big, then you become lost in the sauce. I mean, you are now just a number, a statistic, you're just uh a commodity. And we don't want to feel like that. We want to feel like we're part of the team, that we, that they care about us, that we matter. And so picking a company that's way too big, then they might not care about you. And it might just all come down to dollars and cents. So my recommendation is that you pick a company that's medium in size, a company that has resources, but also has a personal feel, a personal way of conducting business that makes you feel like you matter. Number eight, high quality partners. You need to pick a telepsychiatry company that has high-quality partners if you want a high quality experience. And some companies will partner with any hospital, any clinic. It doesn't matter how safe or dangerous the scenario is, they just want the contract. And other companies, in parentheses, orbit health, but other companies as well, care about what kind of partner they have. And so when you're talking to a telepsychiatry company, ask them what kind of partner are you looking for in a health system or a clinic? And they need to have a good answer for you because we want high-quality doctors working with high-quality clinics. So if you're high quality, then you want a partner that's also high quality. Now, if you're a low-quality doctor, I don't know how to help you with that because that's not who we deal with. But um it's really important. The bottom line is it's really important that if you're seeking a good experience, that the telepsychiatry company that you work with partners with high quality health institutions. Number seven, team integration. So working with a telepsychiatry company, again, it's a relationship. And you want to not only have a good relationship with the company you work with, but also the health institutions that they partner with. And so you want to be integrated into the team, integrated into the clinic, integrated into the hospital, whatever the setting is, you need to be integrated for the best experience. And that's a good experience for you, the patient. You become more knowledgeable with the team members, you become part of the team. And that way you can practice more effectively, safely, and it's just a better experience overall. So when you work with locum tenons, the danger there is that they're just matchmakers, they don't really care about the team integration. You're just a paycheck for them. And so you're not going to get that experience of being integrated. And that's important. So that's going to be one of the biggest predictors of how long you stay with the job, whether you're integrated into the team. And if the telepsychiatry company doesn't care about that, then that's a big red flag. And if they do care about that, that may be a sign that they're a good company for you. Number six, longevity. You want a company that's been around for a while. Now, not all companies can be like Orbit Health, the longest-running telesychiatry company uh in the industry. But there are companies out there that have been there for a few years. And my recommendation would be to go with a company that was that has been in place for at least five years, because companies come and go. I mean, nine out of 10 companies fail. And so you don't want to partner with a company that's going to fail. And how do you know that? Well, they've been around for a while. So if a company is coming to you and let's say that they raised a bunch of capital and they're starting something new, it's uh they're only maybe six months in, two years, three years in, that could be a red flag because just because they're promising you a high pay rate doesn't mean that that's going to last because the company might go out of business in six months, and then you're going to have to start all over. And by the way, a company that's been around for a while, like us, we've seen a few things and we know how to problem solve. And so you want to find a company that knows what are the some some of the most common things that happen in a telepsychiatry situation, and they've been able to navigate that. And now a quick word from Orbit Health. Orbit Health is a telepsychiatry company that provides services to California County Behavioral Health. If you're a psychiatrist interested in working with a company that will support you and put you in the best position to succeed, there's no better choice than Orbit Health. If you want to learn more, go to orbithealth.com. Thanks. Number five, high retention rates. To get the best experience, you want to work with a company that delivers consistently a good experience to their providers. And so how do you know that? Well, there are other providers there that have been there for a while and they love the job. So if they can provide, if a psychiatry company, telepsychiatry company, can't provide anyone you can talk to that can attest to how great of a company it is, that's a red flag. And if a company has really large turnover rates where people don't really care to stay, well, that there's a reason why they don't want to stay. So do you want a company where everybody leaves after six months or a year or two years? Or do you want a company where there are several people who have been there for a while and can say that this is a long-term great place to work? Number four, a schedule that works for you. Finding a schedule that works for you can be a challenge because there are a lot of telepsychiatry companies that uh have a very rigid schedule or they have opportunities that provide rigid hours where it might not work for you. And so having a company that can offer you a schedule that works for you is really important. And a company needs to work with you to see, okay, what are the hours that make sense for you and how can we place you with the correct partner that can work with that? Because a lot of companies will just try to place you anywhere and they won't really care that much about your schedule, or they might change your schedule abruptly without your notice. And so these are all red flags that you need to look out for. And we, of course, at orbit, we try to be flexible with our providers and we try not to make last uh minute changes unless it's absolutely necessary. And so you want to work with a company that has that kind of philosophy. We just want to make things work for you. We want that relationship to grow. The relationship between the provider and the telesychiatry company, and also the relationship between the provider and the partner, like the health system that you work with. So, in order to have a good relationship, the schedule needs to work and it needs to be uh something that works for all parties. Number three, support. You want a company that's going to support you. If things go wrong, let's say that the technology fails, or there's a problem with the site, or it's not a good fit, or whatever the case may be, you want to be able to call somebody and get some help and support. And if a telepsychiatry company isn't there for you to provide you with support and guidance, then what's the point anyway, right? So find a company that will deliver you support when you need it. Number two, fair contracts. So when you're looking at a potential partner to work with and they have all these extreme legal requirements and it's a contract that's like 20 pages long, that's hard to understand. Well, ask some questions. It doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad job, but you have the right to make modifications to the contract. And if you're working with a company that says this is the contract and there's nothing you can do about it, and we're not changing a word, then that could be a red flag. That means kind of what I was talking about earlier. You're really like just a commodity, like you're not important to them. So if you ask a telepsychiatry company to consider changing the wording of a contract and they absolutely refuse without any compromise, then that could be a red flag. Another thing that I want to tell you as a bonus tip is a lot of contracts will have so-called non-compete clauses. And in many states, including California, non-compete clauses are not enforceable. And companies will use that. They will use that the non-compete clause to scare you, to intimidate you, to say that if you leave us, you're going to owe us $30,000 or whatever the case may be. And so if you have a non-compete uh clause in that contract, just know that it's not enforceable. And that shouldn't stop you from changing your job. And if a company tries to scare you into staying with them, then that's not a good sign. And there are a lot of doctors that cave to that and they stay with the company even though it's not working because they're afraid. They're afraid of being penalized. And um, sometimes that comes in the form of golden handcuffs as well. So beyond non-competes, there are companies that try to lock you in long term by giving you the golden handcuffs and say that if you quit, then you don't get all the benefits that are that were given to you, like signing bonuses and other things. So look at the contract, make sure to understand it, have an attorney review it. And if the company doesn't want to work with you on the contract, then you're really setting yourself to get stuck with this company unless you are well aware of the risks and the commitments that you're making. Uh, now again, I want to go back to the non-compete for that particular issue. Don't let that stop you from working with another employer, at least in California and in a lot of other states where it's not enforced. So we jumped around a little bit, but the point here is make sure that the contract is fair. Number one, clinician-led leadership. I'm a psychiatrist and I own orbit health. And I think that that's important. I think that it sets a culture where psychiatrists are valued and patient care is valued. Quality matters. And that's all because I was trained to think that way. As a clinician, as a healer, a medical provider, I care about patient outcomes. I care about the patient experience. And if your company that you work with doesn't have leadership like me, uh, other mental health people that lead the way that set the culture, then this is a really bad thing because now it's all a matter of money. It's all a matter of margins and business, and it's just, you know, it's not good for patient care where it's all about the money. Now, obviously, money is important, but that's not what drives us. That's not why we chose medicine. And so I appeal to your sense of professionalism and the fact that you have chosen not just a career, but a calling, a calling to help people. And so when you're looking for a telepsychiatry company, make sure to ask who is leading the way and what kind of culture are they setting? Do they have values? Does the company have core values? Okay, because if a company doesn't have core values, then they don't have any values. And that's something that you want to see. You want to see on the website, you want to know the people talking to you on the phone need to know the core values. And so that's really important. And the core values that are, in my opinion, the best for your experience are core values set by psychiatrists and clinicians. So the number one thing I would say is look for clinician-led uh programs and clinician-led companies. So I hope this was helpful. The top 10 things to look for in a telepsychiatry company. Now, when you're searching for a company, keep this list in mind. And uh, we're going to have a list in the show notes of the headlines of all of these ideas. And you can use that as your crib sheet when you are interviewing with telepsychiatry programs because it's not just that they're interviewing you, you are also interviewing them. And this is a relationship. I always say that we are in a relationship business. We're not in a transactional business, and you want to know the difference between a relationship and a transaction. And the best quality company is going to care about the relationship. Now, this is going to be a bit of a plug for my company. I mean, I think that my company, Orbit Health, checks off all of these boxes. And so if you're interested in working with us, go to orbithealth.com, fill out the forums. Somebody will talk to you and we'll lead you through the process. And if you're a high quality, best in class psychiatrist, we're interested in you. But if you decide not to work with Orbit Health, that's fine too. I just want you to be happy and make sure that you choose a company that values you and is a good quality company. So thank you so much for joining us. Until next time, keep raising the standard.