Sec. 10.21.30.01. Scope

A. This chapter applies to public mental health system (PMHS) outpatient mental health centers (OMHC) or individual psychiatrists to provide psychiatric consultation, evaluation, and ongoing treatment, via interactive video telemental health (TMH) technologies to eligible individuals:

(1) Located in designated rural geographic areas of Maryland; or

(2) For whom personal psychiatric services are not available.

B. The purpose of providing psychiatric care via TMH technology is to:

(1) Improve access to outpatient psychiatric care, thus reducing the individual's admission to emergency rooms, inpatient facilities, or detention centers;

(2) Improve access to outpatient and inpatient psychiatric subspeciality consultation, thus improving diagnostic clarification, treatment recommendations, and planning for the individual; and

(3) Improve capacity and choice for outpatient ongoing psychiatric treatment, thus reducing the need to travel outside the community when local resources are limited.