The Ryan Haight Act is one of the most important laws in modern telepsychiatry, especially when it comes to prescribing controlled substances remotely. Nearly every conversation around telemedicine care eventually leads back to this legislation and the events that led to its creation.

The law emerged during a chaotic period in the early internet era, when rogue online pharmacies were distributing highly addictive medications with almost no real medical oversight. What followed was a tragedy that changed telemedicine forever and led regulators to fundamentally reshape how controlled substances could be prescribed remotely.

In part one of this special four-part series, Dr. Edward Kaftarian recounts the story that led to the Ryan Haight Act. He also gets into what the law actually does, including the baseline in-person requirement and the seven telemedicine exceptions written into it.

For more information about Orbit Health, visit us at:
https://www.orbithealth.com/

AI is one of the biggest conversations happening in the world right now, and healthcare is no exception. Some clinicians are excited about what AI could make possible. Others are understandably worried about what it could mean for the future of the profession and the doctor-patient relationship.

First things first: we don’t think AI is here to take the job of psychiatrists. We think the opposite. Used correctly, AI can improve the way psychiatrists work and give clinicians more time to focus on patients directly.

In this episode of The Telepsychiatry Advantage, Dr. Edward Kaftarian explains three practical ways AI is already beginning to improve telepsychiatry — from reducing documentation overload to freeing up time.

Here at Orbit Health, we offer some AI tools to our clinicians. To learn more about what we do, visit us at: https://www.orbithealth.com/

Telepsychiatry with children and adolescents comes with a different set of challenges. Younger patients may be distracted, restless, reluctant to talk, or more interested in what’s happening around them than what’s happening on screen. But with the right approach, those challenges can become opportunities.

In this episode of The Telepsychiatry Advantage, Dr. Edward Kaftarian talks about how to connect with younger patients virtually by meeting them where they are. That might mean using their interests to start a conversation, letting them introduce a pet, using games or whiteboard tools, building in movement, or working with parents to keep the session grounded without making it feel forced. This episode is packed with examples that Dr. Kaftarian has seen work firsthand.

He also explains how the home environment can give clinicians information they may never get in an office — from family dynamics and background noise to the child’s room, routines, privacy, and attention patterns.

Yes, treating children and adolescents online comes with unique challenges, but it is NOT harder when psychiatrists are prepared. With the right approach, telepsychiatry can be really effective with younger patients. That's what this episode is all about!

For more information about Orbit Health, visit us at:
https://www.orbithealth.com/