This article covers a detailed review of Talkiatry. It is a telehealth/psychiatry platform designed to provide insured psychiatric treatment and medication management through licensed mental healthcare providers locally available in the home state of the client/patient.
I tried out the platform to understand how it works and if it’s better than other, more popular online psychiatry services.
One very good feature of Talkiatry was its service model. It combines online mental health counseling with the benefits of traditional/face-to-face psychiatric assistance. Let’s get to know the platform inside out.
About Talkiatry
Robert Krayn started online mental healthcare/psychiatric services via Talkiatry in New York, along with Georgia Gaveras, after he had a hard time finding a good psychiatric practitioner for treating his PTSD.
Psychotherapy or talk therapy is becoming popular and accessible. But the primary inspiration came from all the hardships of looking for top-notch virtual psychiatric services and accepting insurance.
The platform helps patients and board-certified mental health experts come together and help each other. Talkiatry now has more than 300 psychiatrists on board and over 60 insurance partners to make mental healthcare more convenient and easily accessible across the USA.
The platform even boasts of developing friendly, organic conversations to foster real connections and better treatment outcomes.
Talkiatry Psychiatry Platform: Review 2023
In this section, I will explore Talkiatry, and provide a comprehensive account of its pricing, how it works, who it will benefit, treatments available, and more to help you decide if the platform is a good fit for you.
1. How Does it Work?
Here is the process of getting started on Talkiatry:
The services provided by the platform are mentioned at the beginning of the sign-up process.
The first step for me was to complete a questionnaire that took about 5 to 10 minutes. Talkiatry also mentions that it only accepts patients with insurance coverage. Before I filled out the form, I was asked to verify my email and was also requested to provide my postal address, zip code, phone number, etc.
I thought this step was unnecessary and felt I had to reveal too much personal information in the sign-up process itself.
Post email verification, I finished the rest of my mental assessment. Once done, I was paired with my psychiatrist in less than 48 hours, based on the answers submitted.
I was happy with how quickly I got matched to a mental health professional and could schedule a phone call that lasted for 45 minutes. The maximum time limit of the first consultation was 60 minutes which is decent enough.
FYI – If you are trying to help a minor with mental issues. In that case, you must submit your personal email I.D. for further communication with the Talkiatry care team.
2. Pricing
Once a suitable psychiatrist was matched with me based on my mental healthcare needs, I was required to book one-on-one virtual consultations with my provider as and when needed, according to my treatment plan.
Talkiatry does not follow a fixed or subscription-based pricing structure, so I paid individually for all my sessions. It doesn’t include the medication cost.
The amount I paid was in the affordable range for me due to my insurance plan. The details of my insurance were already taken during the sign-up process. But sometimes, I did face quite a lot of billing issues.
Since every patient, their requirements, and insurance plans will vary, Talkiatry’s treatments, their overall duration, the number of sessions needed, and the total expenditure on treatment and prescription medication will differ from person to person.
So, review your insurance, deductible, and coinsurance information before submission because that will mainly determine the final cost. Check if your insurance carrier covers OPD charges to get a ballpark figure.
On average, most patients must pay less than $25 per visit. Also, you can spend around $325 to $414 if you have a pending deductible plan.
But these costs can change based on several factors, such as your session duration and the specifics of the consultation, whether it was conducted by a counselor or a psychiatrist, etc.
There are payment plans if the balance is above $250. It’s to avoid paying manually every month or every two weeks.
3. Insurance Coverage
Talkiatry accepts plans from most insurance carriers, such as Cigna, Aetna, Humana, United Healthcare, Blue Cross Shield, and more. But it does not accept Medicaid and self-pay options.
The platform also mentions that, in some cases, a third-party organization may handle the administration benefits for some insurance policies. And Talkiatry cannot help or accept your insurance in such a situation. So, it is advisable to verify things beforehand.
I took a short assessment to check my insurance coverage, and my insurer was billed directly. It would help if you did it too to ensure mental healthcare service at Talkiatry is covered by your plan/carrier.
4. Accessibility
Talkiatry is a strictly virtual psychiatry platform, so there are no regional or location constraints, but its offices are available in the following states:
- Washington D.C.
- Ohio
- Idaho
- Nevada
- Illinois
- North Dakota
- West Virginia
- Kansas
- New Jersey
- North Carolina
- New Hampshire
- Kentucky
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Georgia
- Nebraska
- Wisconsin
- Montana
- Missouri
- Mississippi
- Utah
- Virginia
- Texas
- Tennessee
- Florida
- Minnesota
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- California
- Vermont
- South Carolina
- Michigan
- Maryland and more
Refer to the below map to check more states where Talkiatry is active:
5. Privacy
According to the privacy policy of Talkiatry, sensitive patient details are only disclosed when necessary to comply with certain mandatory laws. It also does not guarantee the complete security of data when it comes to protecting the safety of an individual.
As per my research, the past record of Talkiatry has been quite spotless. It is a HIPAA-compliant platform that follows SSL encryption for data protection on its website.
6. Treatments Available
Talkiatry provides therapy, psychiatry, and medication management services for the following mental disorders:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity disorder)
- PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder)
- OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
- Bipolar disorder
- Substance abuse disorder
It does not treat or address patients with suicidal tendencies, eating disorders, and schizophrenia. So, not everyone may be a good candidate for online counseling/psychiatric treatment.
7. Pros and Cons
Pros
- Offers an all-in-one virtual mental healthcare solution – therapy, psychiatric treatment, and medication management
- Accepts most insurance carriers
- Session lengths are longer than most competitors
- Easy to discontinue, cancel, schedule, and reschedule appointments
- Offers services of more than 300 board-certified psychiatrists
- Simple to use interface
- It is a HIPAA-compliant platform
- Offers psychiatric treatments for minors/kids through their local guardians
Cons
- The accessibility of Talkiatry services is restricted to only 43 states in the U.S.
- Many users have reported clunky insurance processing and billing
- You may be charged a cancellation fee even if your psychiatrist initiates it for some reason
- You need to have insurance to use Talkiatry services
- No home delivery of your prescription medication
How Does it Stack up Against the Competitors?
The $100 cancellation penalty surprised me because I rescheduled my appointment 24 hours before. Talkiatry requires you to cancel or reschedule your sessions well in advance, which is 48 hours before the scheduled date and time of your appointment.
The other competitors in the industry, offering similar services, are more flexible when canceling or rescheduling bookings.
It is not just me. Many clients have complained about inconsistencies in billing and cancellations. Additionally, some have had unpleasant experiences with their assigned psychiatrists, and felt uncomfortable during the sessions because the practitioners came across as rude or judgmental.
Sometimes, patients have unnecessarily paid cancellation fees despite the doctors rescheduling the appointments. A review stated, ” Talkiatry is like a Uber for psychiatrists who exploit their patients in need.”
However, there are some positives too. Virtual medication management service is a rarity. Talkiatry addresses this problem by providing licensed psychiatrists authorized to diagnose, treat and prescribe medications.
The session duration is also long enough to give us ample time to discuss our problems in detail with the assigned provider. Most competitor platforms, such as Talkspace or Cerebral, offer shorter consultations. It will also depend on the psychiatrist matched to you so that every patient may go through a different experience.
Conclusion
Overall, it was a good experience at Talkiatry. I highly recommend you check out its services if online diagnosis, psychiatric treatment, and medication management are your primary requirements.
I was quite satisfied with the interactions I had with my psychiatrist. You also have the option to switch them if you do not find their advice comforting enough.
Except for abrupt billing instances and the lack of upfront pricing on the website, Talkiatry seems like a decent, affordably-priced platform for good quality mental healthcare treatments.
She is an experienced Clinical Psychologist and Mental Health Writer with a decade of expertise in psychology. Skilled in assessment, therapy, and patient care. Committed to helping individuals through clinical practice and mental health writing at Therapyjourney.co. Passionate about promoting mental well-being and awareness. Open to aligned opportunities.