Fayette Medical Center now provides psychiatric assessment for patients in its emergency department via telemedicine.

FMC is working with qler Solutions, a company based in Reston, Virginia. The company's board-certified psychiatrists interview patients on a secure video-telephone service. Based on their assessment, the psychiatrists work with emergency department physicians to provide the patient medicine, referral for follow-up or transfer to a psychiatric facility.

The service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to FMC's emergency room patients.

"We are excited at the opportunity to expand needed services for our patients through telemedicine," FMC Administrator Donald Jones said. "Through the partnership with qler, our patients will experience reduced wait times for specialist care."