Talkiatry Improves Access to Psychiatry to Meet Increased Demand During COVID-19

Startup doubles team of providers, partners with all major insurers

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Dec 02, 2020, 08:58 ET

NEW YORK, Dec. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Talkiatry, a leading provider of accessible in-network psychiatric care today announced it has doubled its team of providers with the addition of 10 new hires in the past month including Ilisse Permutter, MD, and Georges Moroz, MD. Launched in April, the mental healthcare service also just reached a deal with Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield and, as a result, is now in-network with the five largest insurance providers in the United States.

People typically can't access psychiatric care in the U.S. unless they are hospitalized or willing to pay out-of-network prices. Consequently, more than 60% of those with mental health needs go untreated. Talkiatry solves this issue. The startup provides outpatient psychiatric care that's covered by insurance and has completed nearly 8,000 patient visits to date. Talkiatry's team of high-caliber providers sees patients via telehealth and will soon also see patients in its New York City offices.

"We've gained significant momentum since launching Talkiatry in April. We now have attractive agreements with every top insurer in the country, further validating our model and highlighting the acute demand for in-network psychiatric care," said Robert Krayn, Co-Founder and CEO of Talkiatry. "Over the next few months, we will continue to strengthen our platform and further enhance our proprietary pre-diagnosis and patient-provider matching technology and back-office operations, so our providers can focus on what they do best—patient care. We are also moving closer to our long-term goal of integrating behavioral health services on a collaborative care basis with hospitals and other urgent and primary care practices."

Among Talkiatry's key new hires is Dr. Ilisse Perlmutter who joins Talkiatry as Director of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Over the past 35 years, Dr. Perlmutter has held numerous leadership roles with some of the largest hospital systems in the New York metro area. Most recently, Dr. Perlmutter was the Chair of Behavioral Health and Addiction Services at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, prior to which she was the Director of Inpatient Psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center-Wakefield. Dr. Perlmutter is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, a Fellow of the American College of Psychiatrists, and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Dr. Georges Moroz is a board-certified psychiatrist who brings to Talkiatry expertise rarely found in outpatient psychiatry. His dual-career includes 15 years of experience treating adults as a clinical psychiatrist as well as 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry. Dr. Moroz has held roles with Roche, Lilly, Pfizer and Daiichi-Sankyo and has experience in all phases (I to IV) of clinical trials in psychiatry and neurology, as well as considerable experience in drug safety, particularly in regards to the Central Nervous System. His previous faculty appointments include Cornell University and Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

"We are delighted to welcome ten new providers to our team including Dr. Perlmutter and Dr. Moroz, whose credentials and experience will help position Talkiatry for its upcoming phase of growth and expansion," said Dr. Georgia Gaveras, Co-Founder and Chief Psychiatrist at Talkiatry. "At Talkiatry, every decision we make is with providers in mind. Our goal is to ensure that they are positioned to provide the best clinical care possible by providing comprehensive supports that set them up for success. This includes comprehensive patient screening and technology not typically available in other practice settings."

About Talkiatry
Launched in April of 2020, Talkiatry provides accessible in-network psychiatric care. The technology-driven service is committed to providing the highest level of mental health care on an outpatient basis. Based in New York City, Talkiatry offers seamless telehealth as well as in-person care in thoughtfully-designed, upscale offices—all at affordable, in-network prices. Talkiatry accepts a wide-range of insurance and employs psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners curated from among the city's finest healthcare providers. For more information, visit www.talkiatry.com.

SOURCE Talkiatry