Princeton House Telehealth Program Receives National Recognition

Photo illustration of glass award in the shape of a star with a telemedicine symbol
At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Penn Medicine Princeton House Behavioral Health was providing necessary treatment to over 600 partial hospital and intensive outpatient patients, in addition to its inpatient services. Three to six hours a day, three to five days a week, these patients attended outpatient programs to help them transition from inpatient psychiatric care or to avert a psychiatric hospitalization.

“Because of the importance of continuity of care for our patients, it was essential to establish a telehealth program as rapidly as possible to ensure patient safety,” says Peter Thomas, PhD, Vice President of Outpatient Behavioral Health at Princeton House. “Without hesitation, our team of psychiatrists, nurses, therapists, and support staff worked together to develop and refine a high-quality virtual intensive care program to meet the needs of our patients.”

A Prompt Response

Within nine days of closing in-person outpatient services due to COVID precautions in March of 2020, 250 staff members and over 600 patients, ranging in age from six to older adults, were transitioned to a newly developed intensive outpatient (IOP) program that included psychiatric evaluation; medication management; and group, individual, and family therapy. The IOP program developed at Princeton House has since been recognized by the Association for Ambulatory Behavioral Healthcare — a national organization representing outpatient providers — as the national program of the year.

“This award is a recognition of the scale, quality, and effectiveness of our virtual IOP,” says Thomas. “The entire Princeton House outpatient team is honored to have our 
hard work acknowledged by our national peer group of IOP providers.”

Since it began, the virtual program has provided IOP care to more than 7,000 children, adolescents, and adults. 

Although in-person outpatient programs have recently resumed, Princeton House, one of the largest IOP providers in the country, will continue to offer its award-winning virtual programming as well. 

“A key factor in this decision is the demonstrated effectiveness of the virtual program,” says Thomas. “In addition, a third of patients surveyed actually preferred virtual over in-person IOP. For some, telehealth was more convenient, and for others, telehealth allowed them to receive care from Princeton House, even if they do not live near one of our five outpatient sites.” 

 


To learn more about in-person or telehealth services for mental health issues, call 888.437.1610 and selection Option 1 for inpatient treatment and Option 2 for outpatient treatment, or visit princetonhouse.org