Providers In Minnesota With Mdlive Bh Live Care 1311

Josefina Sta Romana

Trusting a psychiatrist with your innermost thoughts and emotions after reading their online profile is quite a challenging task . Here is a summary of what I'm all about , to help you decide if I am the right mental health professional for you . I am a board certified psychiatrist with 17 years of clinical experience helping adults from all walks of life. I completed my psychiatry residency at Brown University in Providence, RI where I learned the art and science of psychiatry. I am a licensed physician in 10 states . For the past 15 years, I have been working as a traveling locum tenens psychiatrist in different US states seeing patients in inpatient and outpatient settings in both private and government sectors . I have successfully treated patients from various cultural and geographic backgrounds . I help people with medications , if indicated , and supportive psychotherapy. I believe the treatment plan should be tailor-made for each individual after a collaborative discussion between the doctor and the patient. My therapeutic style is eclectic, practical , non-judgemental and direct to the point . I want to focus on the “ here and now” --on your present life and how you can manage it. In my opinion, dwelling on and rehashing the past is not helpful. Some of my colleagues may disagree with this. I want to focus on helping you learn the tools that you can use to manage what troubles you . My ultimate goal is for you to be happy, independent and resilient and not to be overly dependent on the therapist. In my practice, I abide by ethical guidelines established by the American Telemedicine Association and American Psychiatric Association . I do not have any ties to the pharmaceutical industry nor do I receive any freebies from them ( not even pens) so my medication recommendations are free of bias. " Primum non nocere" ( " First Do No Harm") - a phrase I learned in medical school- is what drives my professional style. If I don't think medications are appropriate for you, that's what I'd tell you I will never prescribe any medication that can do more harm than good. I practice evidence-based medicine . My treatment recommendations are based on findings of well-designed research studies proving their efficacy. I am a clinician first and foremost, not a researcher , so I don't want to treat my patients like guinea pigs. In cases when there are no available well-designed research studies to support the treatment of your condition , I will let you know . I won't sugarcoat it . Telepsychiatry has its limitations compared to traditional face-to-face appointments. Due to this issue, I do not offer crisis counseling nor emergency services. Your privacy as well as mine are extremely important to me. I only use HIPAA compliant videoconferencing equipment and secure email messaging through Breakthrough.com and MDLive.com . You can read Breakthrough's privacy policies under the "Documents" section of my profile. I also use a HIPAA secure non-email -based fax service to ensure patient confidentiality in case I need to fax something for you . The computer I use for my telepsychiatry sessions is protected by a firewall and 2 internet security software to deter hackers. I scan my computer on a regular basis to check for viruses, malware and spyware. If you decide to make an online appointment with me, here’s what to expect. The initial appointment is a one hour intake appointment/ psychiatric evaluation so I can thoroughly evaluate you before I formulate your individualized treatment plan. Prior to the initial appointment, you will need to sign the consent forms included on the Breakthrough website . In addition to the online forms, I will also email you some forms you need to complete before the appointment . This form includes your past mental health treatment, medical history, current primary care provider, current medications, etc similar to the forms you typically see at doctor’s offices . Once completed , please send these paperwork back to me via email so I can review them before I see you . To verify your geographic location as per telemedicine ethical guidelines , please include a copy of your government issued ID with your address. If you have copies of past and recent physical and mental health records, laboratory results, please email them too. As a physician, I also want to know about your physical health and how it affects your mental health. At the end of the intake appointment, I will discuss my treatment recommendation which may or may not include psychiatric medications. If you are iffy about my recommendation , don’t worry . I will also discuss alternative treatment options . I won’t force you to comply with my treatment recommendation if you don’t like it. I will respect your decision. Please read the following before making an appointment : PATIENTS I TREAT: I only see patients 18 years old and older I will not see my friends and family members in my practice due to professional boundary issues. Due to its limitations, direct-to-consumer telepsychiatry is not for everyone. Severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder , developmental disorders with behavioral issues , cognitive disorders, are best treated in a traditional face-to face setting. . I can't see you in my telepsychiatry practice if you are experiencing any of the following: frequent suicidal thoughts , violent thoughts , history of multiple suicide attempts, aggressive behaviors, auditory and/or visual hallucinations , paranoid delusions. PAYMENT OPTIONS: I only see self-pay patients and those with health insurance that covers MDLive.com services . SCHEDULING: Evening and weekend hours are available. I need 1 hour appointments for initial psychiatric intake evaluation , 1 hour for psychotherapy follow up appointment with medication management ( if you're on psychiatric medications), 30 minute follow up appointments if you want to be seen for medication management only and you prefer to see a different therapist CANCELLATION POLICY: If you're unable to keep your appointment, please call at least 24 hours in advance to cancel and reschedule it so that other patients looking for open appointments can use that time slot. MEDICAL TESTS: If not recently done by your other physicians, I need to check blood tests for your own safety . I want to make sure you do not have any medical problems that cause behavioral symptoms such as thyroid disease, blood disorders, vitamin deficiencies, etc . Some medications require regular blood tests to monitor medication levels and/or side effects . Safety first. You can have the required lab tests done care of your primary care provider or I can order them for you and you can have it done at any lab near you. For Georgia residents: GA state law mandates an annual face to face physical exam if you are under the care of a telemedicine provider. Please make sure you have a primary care provider who can do an annual physical for you and I will coordinate your care with him /her . This should satisfy the GA state requirement. PRESCRIPTION POLICY: All prescriptions are sent electronically. If you need refills, please contact me at least 24 hours before you actually run out of meds. I DO NOT prescribe controlled substances like benzodiazepines ( such as Ativan, Xanax, Klonopin, Valium) some sleep meds ( like Ambien, Sonata, Lunesta) and stimulants ( like Adderall, Ritalin, Concerta ) . I firmly believe these controlled substances can't be safely prescribed in a direct-to-consumer telepsychiatry setting . Please feel free to send me a message if you have any questions about me and/or my practice. Thanks for reading my profile. I hope to see you soon. Take care!