As any in any other method of healthcare delivery, there are disadvantages related to the practice of telemedicine/telepsychiatry. These are the most common limitations and disadvantages:
- Personal Touch: Decreases face-to-face interactions between the patient and their treating providers.
- Technical: Hardware/Software Glitches, broadband connection disruptions, need for electronic devices and technological training.
- Prescribing restrictions: Federal laws prohibits the prescribing of controlled substances except for instances in which patients are in authorized healthcare settings.
- Licensing restrictions: Physician must be licensed in the State of the patient location at the time of services.
- Level of care restrictions: A method of delivery of care not appropriate for patients in crisis or emergency situations unless the patient is in a healthcare system in which the telepsychiatrist will have the clinical support of other healthcare providers.
- Reimbursement rules: There are still are blocks and difficulties with reimbursement policies in certain states where physicians are providing services in certain states.