Peter Yellowlees, MD – Quality Talks 2020 Q&A

Peter Yellowlees MBBS, MD, is a psychiatrist and telemedicine leader animated by many interests. His focus these days: the alarming and underreported news about a mental health crisis among physicians. This British- and Australian-trained doctor knows new technologies can improve access to mental health care for people who need it. He has done it himself, caring for Native American populations hundreds of miles from his Sacramento clinic. He is also an innovator in asynchronous telepsychiatry, a new technique that uses videotaped interviews and responses rather than rely on real-time dialogue.

Lately Yellowlees has sounded the alarm about shockingly high suicide rates among doctors. Count him among those who argue the Triple Aim of better health, lower costs and better patient experience needs a fourth aim. It’s time to target provider satisfaction and the basic sustainability of the medical workforce. Don’t be surprised if telemedicine plays a growing role in that life-saving effort.