Board-certified psychiatric care, wherever you are in California.
Wave Psychiatric Group offers comprehensive telepsychiatry services to adults throughout California — the same physician-led, insurance-accepted psychiatric care available at our West Los Angeles office, delivered via secure video from wherever you are most comfortable.
Telepsychiatry is the delivery of psychiatric evaluation, diagnosis, medication management, and psychotherapy via secure video technology. It is not a lesser version of in-person care — for most psychiatric conditions and most patients, telepsychiatry produces clinical outcomes equivalent to in-person treatment, and in many cases improves them by removing the practical barriers that cause patients to delay, miss, or discontinue care.
At Wave, telepsychiatry is delivered exclusively by board-certified psychiatrists using Spruce Health, a HIPAA-compliant platform designed for healthcare communication. Your video appointment is private, encrypted, and accessible from any device with a camera and internet connection.
What is telepsychiatry?
Who telepsychiatry is right for
Telepsychiatry at Wave is appropriate for most adults in California seeking psychiatric care. It is particularly well-suited for:
Patients outside of West Los Angeles who want access to physician-led, in-network psychiatric care without the constraints of geography. Wave's clinical team is available to patients anywhere in California — from San Francisco to San Diego, from the Central Valley to the Central Coast.
Patients with demanding schedules for whom the time cost of traveling to and from a psychiatric appointment is a meaningful barrier. A telepsychiatry appointment requires nothing more than thirty minutes and a private space.
Patients with mobility limitations, chronic medical illness, or other circumstances that make in-person visits difficult or impractical.
Patients who are already stable on a medication regimen and are seeking ongoing psychiatric management with a physician who will provide genuine continuity of care — not a different provider at every visit.
Patients who have had unsatisfying experiences with high-volume telehealth platforms and are looking for a smaller, physician-led practice that takes the time to know them.
Parents, caregivers, and professionals whose days are structured around obligations that make fixed in-office appointment times difficult to maintain consistently.
What telepsychiatry at Wave includes
All of the services available at our West Los Angeles office are available via telepsychiatry, with limited exceptions noted below.
Psychiatric diagnostic assessment
A comprehensive initial evaluation — 50 minutes with a board-certified psychiatrist — conducted via secure video. Your psychiatrist will take a full psychiatric and medical history, develop a diagnostic formulation, and establish a treatment plan. The evaluation is clinically equivalent to an in-person assessment for the vast majority of presentations.
Medication management
Ongoing psychiatric medication management, including initiation of new medications, titration, monitoring, side effect management, and prescription renewals, is available in full via telepsychiatry. Our psychiatrists prescribe the complete range of psychiatric medications via telehealth, subject to applicable regulations. Note: prescribing of controlled substances such as stimulant medications for ADHD via telehealth is subject to current DEA regulations.
Psychotherapy
All psychotherapy modalities offered at Wave — including psychodynamic therapy, ISTDP, CBT, IFS, IPT, PE, and ART — are available via telepsychiatry. The therapeutic relationship and the clinical work translate effectively to the video format, and many patients find that the comfort and privacy of their own environment enhances rather than diminishes the depth of therapeutic engagement.
Integrated treatment
Patients seeking combined medication management and psychotherapy with a single psychiatrist can receive fully integrated treatment via telepsychiatry. Your psychiatrist manages both within the same ongoing relationship, with no coordination gap between prescriber and therapist.
Telepsychiatry vs. in-person care — what the evidence says
A substantial and growing body of research supports the clinical equivalence of telepsychiatry and in-person psychiatric care across a wide range of conditions, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder, and ADHD. Patient satisfaction with telepsychiatry is consistently high, and treatment retention — a critical predictor of outcomes — is often better with telehealth due to reduced logistical barriers.
Telepsychiatry is not appropriate for every situation. Patients in acute psychiatric crisis, those requiring in-person physical examination, and certain complex presentations may be better served by in-person evaluation. Our psychiatrists exercise clinical judgment about the appropriate modality for each patient and will recommend in-person evaluation when indicated.
How a telepsychiatry appointment works
Scheduling
Complete our required online intake forms. These are the same forms you would ordinarily fill out and sign in the waiting room of your doctor’s office. Call our office at 323-688-6380 if you have any questions. Our intake team will verify your insurance benefits, confirm your eligibility for telepsychiatry under your plan, and schedule your appointment.
Before your appointment
You will receive an invitation to create an account with Spruce Health after you schedule your first visit with us. This app, which can also be accessed via web browsers, will act as your communication hub with us, including for telepsychiatry appointments. We recommend finding a private, quiet space with good internet connection where you will not be interrupted for the duration of your appointment.
During your appointment
Your psychiatrist will give you a video call at your scheduled time, and all you have to do is click to accept the call. No links to track down like with Zoom. The appointment proceeds exactly as an in-person visit would — your psychiatrist will ask questions, listen carefully, and work through your evaluation or follow-up with the same depth and attention they bring to every clinical encounter.
Prescriptions and follow-up
Prescriptions are sent electronically to your pharmacy of choice immediately following your appointment. Follow-up appointments are scheduled based on your clinical needs, at whatever frequency your psychiatrist recommends. Between appointments, you can reach your care team securely through the Spruce Health platform.
A note on high-volume telehealth platforms
The past several years have seen significant growth in large-scale telehealth psychiatry platforms that match patients with available providers — sometimes a different provider at each visit, often nurse practitioners or physician assistants rather than physicians, and optimized for throughput rather than clinical depth.
Wave is a different kind of practice. We are a small, physician-led group. When you become a Wave patient via telepsychiatry, you are assigned to a specific psychiatrist who will know your history, track your progress over time, and provide the kind of continuous, longitudinal care that produces genuine clinical outcomes. Our telehealth model is designed to extend the reach of our West Los Angeles practice — not to replicate the assembly-line model we deliberately chose not to build.
Telehealth and insurance
Most major insurance plans now cover telepsychiatry at the same benefit level as in-person psychiatric care. Wave Psychiatric Group accepts Aetna, Optum / UnitedHealthcare Behavioral Health, Meritain Health, Oxford Health Plans, ComPsych, UC SHIP, etc. for telepsychiatry appointments. Self-pay rates are also available.
Insurance coverage for telehealth varies by plan and state. Our intake team will verify your specific telehealth benefits before your first appointment. California law requires most commercial health plans to cover telehealth services — including mental health services — on terms no less favorable than in-person care.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to live near Los Angeles to be a Wave patient?
No. Via telepsychiatry, we see patients anywhere in California. You do not need to be in Los Angeles or have ever visited our West Los Angeles office. Your psychiatrist is licensed to practice in California and can provide care to any patient located within the state at the time of their appointment. Note: you do have to be physically located in California at the time of every telepsychiatry appointment.
Is telepsychiatry covered by my insurance?
In most cases, yes. California law requires most commercial health plans to cover telehealth mental health services. Wave accepts Aetna, Optum, Meritain, Oxford, ComPsych, UC SHIP, etc. for telehealth appointments. Our intake team will verify your specific benefits before you schedule.
What technology do I need for a telepsychiatry appointment?
A smartphone, tablet, or computer with a camera, microphone, and internet connection is sufficient. Spruce Health works in most modern web browsers as well. A reliable internet connection and a private, quiet space are the most important practical requirements.
Can I get a prescription via telepsychiatry?
Yes. Our psychiatrists prescribe the full range of psychiatric medications electronically via telepsychiatry, subject to applicable regulations. Prescriptions for non-controlled medications are available fully via telehealth. Prescribing of controlled substances such as stimulants is subject to DEA telehealth regulations, which our team will explain at the time of your initial evaluation.
What if I am in crisis during or between appointments?
Wave's telepsychiatry service is designed for ongoing outpatient psychiatric care and is not a crisis service. If you are experiencing a psychiatric emergency, please call 988 (the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline), call 911, or go to your nearest emergency room. Between scheduled appointments, you can reach your care team via Spruce Health for non-emergency clinical questions.
Can I switch from telepsychiatry to in-person care, or see my psychiatrist both ways?
Yes. Many Wave patients combine in-person and telehealth visits depending on their schedule and circumstances. If you begin as a telehealth patient and later wish to be seen in person at our West Los Angeles office — or vice versa — that transition is straightforward. Your psychiatrist and your clinical relationship remain the same regardless of modality.