Telehealth Psychiatric Care for Patients in Texas

Who can use telehealth psychiatric care in Texas?

Telehealth is for anyone the clinic sees who is physically located in Texas when the visit takes place. What matters is where you are sitting during the appointment, not the address on your insurance card.

People join from Houston-area suburbs such as Katy, Pearland, Missouri City, Richmond and The Woodlands, and from anywhere else in the state. Video can be a good fit if the drive to an office is long, if your work or caregiving schedule is tight, or if you simply feel more at ease talking from home.

Can I see a psychiatric nurse practitioner online from Houston?

Yes. If you are in Houston or anywhere in the Houston area at the time of the visit, you can be seen by secure video. Your visits are with Victor Onodjacha, MSN, PMHNP-BC, a board-certified psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner, and he is the same provider at every visit.

Video works for a first psychiatric evaluation, for follow-up and medication management visits, and for brief psychotherapy. When an in-person visit is the better choice, our Sugar Land office is about 30 minutes from downtown Houston on US-59/I-69 without traffic.

How does a video visit work?

A video visit is like an office visit, except that you and your provider are in two different places. You see and hear each other in real time on a phone, tablet or computer.

1. 1Request a visitUse the request an appointment form or call (346) 855-6216 and let us know you would like telehealth. We check your coverage and tell you how to join.
2. 2Set up your spacePick a quiet, private spot with a reliable internet connection. Test your camera and sound, prop your device on something steady, and close other apps. Do not join while driving.
3. 3Meet with your providerYou talk with Victor Onodjacha, MSN, PMHNP-BC, the same provider you would see in the office. Keep your medication list and your questions within reach, plus something to take notes with.
4. 4Agree on next stepsBefore the visit ends, you go over the plan together and decide when to meet again. If you are new to the clinic, our new patients page explains the first visit in more detail.

What can be done by video, and what calls for an in-person visit?

Much of outpatient psychiatric care is conversation, which is why it works well on video. Visits that can take place online include:

• A first psychiatric evaluation
• Follow-up visits to review how you are doing and how treatment is working
• Brief psychotherapy, which is short-term, focused talk therapy

How are medication decisions handled on video?

Medication decisions are made after an evaluation, together with you. Not every medication can be prescribed at every kind of visit, and some may require an in-person appointment at the Sugar Land office. We explain what applies to your situation before you rely on a video-only plan. Our medication management page describes how follow-up and monitoring work.

Telehealth is not right for every person or every situation. If you are unsure whether video suits what you are dealing with, ask us when you request your visit.

Is a video visit private?

A telehealth visit is meant to be as private as sitting in your provider's office. On our side, visits take place over secure video. On your side, privacy depends on where you are and what you are using.

Choose a room where you cannot be overheard. A parked car in a quiet spot works for some people. Use your own device if you can, a home network that has a password, and headphones if others are nearby. Avoid public Wi-Fi when you are sharing health information.

Does insurance cover telehealth visits?

The clinic accepts many major insurance plans and also offers self-pay. Coverage for video visits depends on your plan, so we check your benefits before the first appointment and tell you what we find. The plans we accept are listed on our insurance page.

Where can people in Texas turn in a crisis?

DanShalom Behavioral Clinic is not an emergency service, and a scheduled video visit is not the place to wait out a crisis. If you or someone near you is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or call 911 if someone is in immediate danger.

Texas also has a local crisis line for every county. Texas Health and Human Services publishes a Mental Health Crisis Services page where you can look up your county and find the crisis hotline of your local mental health authority or local behavioral health authority. Those crisis services are available at all hours and can include a face-to-face crisis assessment.

It helps to look up your county's number now and save it in your phone. More options are on our crisis resources page.