Foundation Medical Group offers telehealth psychiatry across Virginia, and we’re accepting new patients. Adults anywhere in the state, from Richmond and Midlothian to Fairfax County and Virginia Beach, can have a psychiatric evaluation and medication management by secure video. New patients are typically seen within a week. We work with Virginia Medicaid (Cardinal Care) and carriers including Aetna, Cigna, and Anthem. Call (804) 506-0526 to start.
Our Richmond flagship at 11600 Busy Street, Suite 203 backs up the video side. It’s where you’d come for anything that needs a room, such as TMS, Spravato, or a first in-person visit for certain controlled medications. Most psychiatric care doesn’t need that, though. Here’s how it actually runs.
Who does telehealth psychiatry in Virginia serve?
Adults who are physically in Virginia during the visit. That’s the main rule.
Our team in Virginia includes 10 psychiatric nurse practitioners, according to our provider roster, working alongside our physicians under Executive Medical Director Dr. Vincent Nardone at the Richmond flagship. Video suits most outpatient psychiatric needs:
- Depression, including depression that hasn’t budged after a couple of medicines.
- Anxiety, panic, and obsessive compulsive disorder.
- Bipolar disorder and other mood disorders.
- PTSD and trauma related symptoms.
- ADHD, with the controlled medication rules covered further down.
- Substance use alongside any of the above, which is common enough that we plan for it.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 59.3 million U.S. adults were living with a mental illness in 2022, about 23.1% of adults. A lot of them live nowhere near a psychiatric office. That’s the gap video fills, whether you’re in Charlottesville, Roanoke, or a farmhouse an hour from either.
Some situations still call for the office or a higher level of care. Active psychosis, a severe eating disorder, or a medication that needs close physical monitoring belong in a room with a clinician. If your situation sits in that group, we’ll say so early rather than let you find out three visits in.
How do you start as a new telehealth psychiatry patient?
Four steps, roughly.
- Call (804) 506-0526 or the toll-free line at (800) 983-1974, or use our appointment page. Tell the front desk you want telehealth psychiatry in Virginia.
- Insurance and location check. We verify your benefits and confirm you’ll be in Virginia for the visit.
- First video visit. A psychiatric evaluation runs up to 60 minutes, the same length as in person. It ends with a written treatment plan.
- Follow-ups. Medication follow-ups run 20 to 30 minutes, every few weeks at first, then spaced out.
Have these ready before you click the link:
- Every medication and supplement you take, including doses.
- Your insurance card and a photo ID.
- Notes on when symptoms started and what makes them worse.
- Your pharmacy name and address.
- The questions you don’t want to forget in the moment.
Nothing about the first visit is a test. Some questions feel personal, and you can say you’d rather not answer yet. We ask about sleep, work, family, and substance use with every new patient, so nobody is being singled out.
Is telehealth psychiatry as good as an in-person visit?
For routine psychiatric care, it works well for most patients. Video removes the drive down Route 288, the parking, and the half day off work. What it can’t do is take your blood pressure or run a machine.
| What you need | By video in Virginia | At the Richmond flagship |
|---|---|---|
| First psychiatric evaluation | Yes, for most concerns | Yes |
| Medication follow-up and dose changes | Strong fit | Fine, rarely necessary |
| Talk therapy sessions | Strong fit | Yes |
| Blood pressure, weight, blood draws | No | Yes, or at a lab |
| TMS, Spravato, ketamine | No | Yes, Richmond only |
| Controlled medication starts and annual checks | Limited by rule | Usually required |
| qEEG brain mapping | No | Yes |
Notice the pattern. Talking care travels well over video. Hands-on care doesn’t. And if you need both, the same chart follows you between the two. In our experience, plenty of our patients mix them: video for routine follow-ups, a Richmond visit when a treatment calls for it.
Does insurance cover telehealth psychiatry in Virginia?
Often, yes, though it depends on the plan.
Virginia Medicaid is called Cardinal Care, and most members get their benefits through a managed care health plan rather than straight from the state. That means the name on your card may be a health plan, not “Cardinal Care.” Read us the plan name and member ID when you call. Our Virginia psychiatry team works with Virginia Medicaid and carriers including Aetna, Cigna, Anthem, UnitedHealthcare, and TRICARE.
One wrinkle worth flagging. Our Virginia psychiatry page notes that Medicare isn’t accepted for psychiatry there at this time. If Medicare is your main coverage, ask about this first so you don’t lose a week.
Coverage varies by plan and state. Call our office to confirm your plan before your first visit. Three questions save most surprise bills:
- Is the practice in network with my exact plan for telehealth psychiatry?
- What’s my copay for a video visit compared with an office visit?
- Is there a deductible to meet first?
If you’re uninsured, Virginia’s Community Services Boards set fees by income, and FindTreatment.gov lists them by zip code. Our Medicaid psychiatrist guide covers the coverage side in more detail.
Can a telehealth psychiatric provider prescribe medication in Virginia?
Yes, and this is the part people most often doubt.
After a video evaluation, a psychiatric provider can prescribe antidepressants, mood stabilizers, sleep aids, and most other psychiatric medication straight to your pharmacy. Your clinician watches for side effects at follow-ups and adjusts from there.
Controlled medication is the exception. Stimulants for ADHD and certain other drugs sit under stricter federal and Virginia rules, and the federal telemedicine rules have been extended and revised several times since 2020. For controlled substances, we typically need at least one in-person visit a year at the Richmond flagship. Ask us to spell out what applies to your specific medicine before your first appointment, not after. Honestly, that one question saves a lot of frustration.
Two more limits. A telehealth provider can’t draw the blood needed to check a lithium level, so you’ll visit a lab. And treatments delivered in a chair, such as TMS or Spravato, are office work by definition.
What’s the difference between a psychiatrist, a psychiatric NP, and a therapist?
The dividing line is mostly medication.
| Provider | Training | Prescribes? | Main focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychiatrist | Medical doctor, MD or DO, plus psychiatry residency | Yes | Diagnosis and psychiatric medication |
| Psychiatric nurse practitioner | Advanced nursing degree plus psychiatric board certification | Yes | Evaluation, prescribing, follow-up |
| Psychologist | Doctoral degree, PhD or PsyD | No | Testing and psychotherapy |
| Licensed professional counselor | Master’s degree | No | Talk therapy and counseling |
Plenty of patients work with two people at once. A therapist every week or two, a prescriber every month or three. Our clinicians share one chart, so the therapist and the prescriber aren’t working from two different stories. Our medication management guide explains how follow-ups usually run.
If you want a psychiatrist specifically, say so when you book, and we’ll tell you plainly who’s available. If the wait for one prescriber is three weeks and a psychiatric nurse practitioner has Thursday open, Thursday is usually the better call.
Which other states can see Foundation Medical Group by telehealth?
Virginia is our flagship, but our telehealth service also covers Utah, Georgia, and Texas. The rule is the same everywhere: you need to be physically in one of those states during the visit.
What’s available in person differs by state, so check before you assume. Our Texas clinic in Dallas offers psychiatry, Suboxone, Vivitrol, and brain mapping. Our Georgia clinic in Decatur focuses on Suboxone and Subutex treatment today. Our Utah clinic in American Fork offers psychiatry, Suboxone, Vivitrol, and telehealth. TMS, Spravato, and ketamine are offered only at the Richmond flagship.
How do you make a video visit work well?
Small things change how much you get out of the hour.
- Sit somewhere private. A parked car works better than a shared kitchen.
- Use headphones.
- Test the link 10 minutes early instead of at the start time.
- Put your face in decent light, with the window in front of you.
- Keep a notepad open. You’ll forget the dose change otherwise.
If your connection drops, ask whether the appointment can finish by phone. It happens more than you’d think.
When should you skip video and get help now?
Some things shouldn’t wait for the next open slot. Ask for an urgent appointment if you can’t work or care for your family, if panic keeps hitting out of nowhere, or if a medication is causing side effects you can’t live with.
If you’re thinking about hurting yourself, don’t wait for an appointment at all. Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, any hour of any day. The free SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 is also staffed around the clock. We’re not a 24/7 crisis service, so please don’t wait on a callback from us.
Key Takeaways
- Foundation Medical Group offers telehealth psychiatry anywhere in Virginia and is accepting new patients, typically seen within a week. Call (804) 506-0526.
- You need to be physically in Virginia during each video visit.
- Video fits evaluations, medication follow-ups, and therapy. TMS, Spravato, lab work, and some controlled medication visits happen at the Richmond flagship.
- Our Virginia psychiatry team works with Virginia Medicaid (Cardinal Care) and carriers including Aetna, Cigna, and Anthem; Medicare isn’t accepted for Virginia psychiatry at this time.
- Telehealth also covers Utah, Georgia, and Texas, though in-person services differ by state.
Book a Virginia Telehealth Visit
If you’ve been putting this off because of the drive or the wait, video takes most of that off the table. Call (804) 506-0526 and tell us what’s going on. Our telehealth page explains how visits run, and our Virginia psychiatry page covers the in-person side at 11600 Busy Street, Suite 203, Richmond, VA 23236.
Sources
- National Institute of Mental Health, Mental Illness Statistics, the 2022 prevalence figures for U.S. adults.
- National Institute of Mental Health, Help for Mental Illnesses, how to find care and what to ask.
- Cover Virginia, Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services, Cardinal Care eligibility and enrollment.
- Medicare.gov, Telehealth, how Medicare covers telehealth services.
- Federal Register, Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Medications, one of the federal extensions since 2020.
- SAMHSA National Helpline, free and confidential help, 24 hours a day.
- FindTreatment.gov, the federal directory for mental health and substance use care.