Become an Optum virtual visit telemental health provider

virtual visits: The complete telemental health solution for your practice
And it can now be used with nearly all payers and insurance companies

Only the setting is different; the benefits, member cost share, services offered, provider reimbursement all continue to be the same for members through their routine behavioral or Employee Assistance Program (EAP) benefits.

The virtual visits technology platform is available for use with no licensing cost or monthly fee for our network providers who have submitted a signed attestation. Our platform can now be used to deliver telemental health services to all of your clients and with virtually all major payers and insurance companies. Please check out the quick all-payer feature overview on the left side of this page. If you are a provider and are looking for a convenient, cost-effective telemental health solution, then we encourage you to register to use the platform. Once registered, members will be able to view your virtual visits schedule and book appointments with you online.

As an Optum network-credentialed provider, you will be able to manage your entire virtual visits practice on this highly advanced platform. (Please note: Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome are the preferred browsers for this platform.) It features convenient in-platform links to Provider Express so providers can perform the same secure transactions for Optum members as they do today, including benefits and eligibility inquiries, claim submission and inquiry and My Practice management.

In general, telemental health has been shown to successfully impact issues of access, quality, engagement, coordination of care, and cost effectiveness. And it’s a great alternative when clients are unable to visit a provider’s office in-person. Along with other aspects of telemedicine, telemental health has grown rapidly with more customers and health care consumers requesting the technology. To ensure best practices, major clinical associations such as the American Psychological Association (APA) and American Telemedicine Association (ATA) have developed and released best practices and guidelines.

Our virtual visits platform functions in a variety of settings and can include both initial evaluations and ongoing treatment, as well as psychotherapies and medication management. Patient acuity can range from routine to emergent.

In addition, there are no current clinical contraindications to the delivery of virtual visits or telemental health. Choosing what cases are appropriate for virtual visits versus traditional face-to-face treatment is ultimately at the discretion of the referring and/or treating clinician. Each provider must determine what services can be safely and effectively delivered based on the unique clinical needs of the individual patient and patient location when services are delivered. If, at any time, the provider determines that an individual receiving telemental health care via virtual visits is at potential risk due to the delivery model, referral and treatment in the traditional setting must be secured.

_{PLEASE NOTE: The virtual visit platform is free to network providers who have submitted a signed attestation. There is an additional charge for prescribers who choose to use the affiliated ePrescribing software offered in conjunction with the virtual visits platform. There may also be nominal charges for automatic payment and deposit of member’s copay through the platform, when applicable. These charges are similar to the service charges for accepting credit card payments in your office.}