According to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, over 40% of Americans have reported experiencing “longer than reasonable” wait time for healthcare. Nearly half of them reported simply giving up seeking care, including mental health services. There is currently a nine week waitlist for an in-person psychiatric appointment and six week waitlists for telepsychiatry visits. These delays and waitlists are not only endangering health outcomes but prolonging human suffering.
Within the virtual care framework, Mindful Care online therapy platform offers patients an encouraging model for how psychiatric urgent care can be implemented to reduce wait times and improve access to quality care. This article explores why incorporating psychiatric urgent care into a virtual setting is essential, and how other systems can also implement it.
What Is Psychiatric Urgent Care and Why It Matters
Psychiatric urgent cares help patients obtain mental health evaluations and support within a 24-48 hour window. It’s not just about being quick, it’s about providing the proper care while also preventing a crisis.
With traditional online therapy, patients typically have to book their appointment in advance as opposed to a psychiatric urgent care which offers fast support that helps keep patients stable, eases the pressure on emergency rooms, and still fits into bigger clinical and patient-focused goals.
The Real Consequences of Long Wait Times
We’re seeing a need for mental health support right now more than ever. The National Institute of Mental Health reported that in 2022, around 59 million adults in the U.S. (roughly 1 in 4) experienced some form of mental illness. Around 6% were living with a serious mental illness, and many of these adults faced barriers to access.
In many states, people can end up waiting over 100 days for an inpatient psychiatric bed. These long delays can:
- Increase risk of self-harm or crisis escalation
- Drive up emergency department admissions and healthcare costs
- Erode trust in mental health systems
- Amplify distress for individuals and their support networks
Virtual Psychiatric Urgent Care: A Scalable Solution
Merging psychiatric urgent care with virtual care has some obvious benefits:
- Rapid triage and stabilization, addressing crises before they grow
- Reduced ER and inpatient burden, freeing resources
- New preventive care pathways into online mental health counseling
- Continuity of care, meaning patients move smoothly into follow-up services
This approach leads to better outcomes, improves the overall patient experience, lowers costs, and stays aligned with care goals.
Mindful Care: A Model Worth Watching
Mindful Care is the perfect example of how psychiatric urgent care works within virtual care. Key features include:
- Same-day and next-day psychiatric care
- Seamless transition into therapy online or MicroTherapy™
- Availability across multiple states via online mental health care
- Prioritization of accessibility and stigma reduction
Mindful Care combines fast access with ongoing support, which in turn creates a scalable, patient-focused model that fits the needs of the healthcare system.
Policy and Technology Considerations
To grow psychiatric urgent care successfully, we need to address the key supports and challenges:
- EHR integration: Ensures continuity, reduces duplication, and allows care coordination
- Reimbursement models: Payment structures must support rapid-access care, not just episodic visits
- Workforce capacity: Digital triage tools and telepsychiatry can help address provider supply challenges
- Digital equity: Infrastructure and support systems are needed to ensure telehealth access for underserved populations
- Policy alignment: Regulators, payers, and providers must collaborate to create enabling environments for virtual urgent care
Long wait times in mental health care should not be the norm and it shouldn’t be tolerated. They must be seen as a public health crisis. Virtual psychiatric urgent care should serve as the main entry point into the mental health system because it is efficient, human, and scalable. Models like Mindful Care provide a blueprint for transformation, and health systems, payers, and policymakers should embrace and invest in these innovations to ensure timely access for those who need it most.
This approach delivers:
- Immediate clinical triage and crisis intervention
- Reduced reliance on emergency rooms and inpatient care
- A smooth transition into ongoing therapeutic relationships
- Care that is aligned with cost-effective, value-driven delivery
