About our program

Penn State Health Children’s Hospital Child Psychiatry and Behavioral Health through a program funded by PA HealthChoices now offers remote guidance to primary care providers in central and northeastern Pennsylvania, via the telephone. The Telephonic Psychiatric Services (TiPS) program is specifically designed to provide resources and telephone consults to primary care providers for their patients, up to age 21, with insurance coverage through HealthChoices (PA Medicaid and CHIP).

Penn State Health Children’s Hospital TiPS program serves primary care offices in the following counties: Adams, Berks, Bradford, Carbon, Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mifflin, Monroe, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Pike, Schuylkill, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Wayne, Wyoming and York.

View this video for an introduction to our TiPS Program

Services Provided

• Telephonic consultation - assistance with diagnostic and treatment questions from a board-certified child psychiatrist. The TiPS line is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is available by calling 800-233-4082, option 3. Primary care offices may enroll in this program by calling 800-233-4082, option 3. Phone inquiries are usually patient-specific, but can also be about any general questions related to child psychiatry, behavioral health or community resources for behavioral health issues in children.
• Care Coordination - care coordinators are expert at identifying and maintaining up-to-date behavioral health resources in the community. They work with families to identify appropriate options, provide information on the expected wait times and follow-up to ensure connections are made. Care coordinators keep the PCP or other practice personnel informed of the referral status and the outcome of the follow-up efforts so the referring provider can ensure their patients are receiving the care they need.
• CME - TiPS teams for each zone are available for training and education based on the needs and desires of the practice.

What to expect

• The MD Network Operator will briefly speak with you and request your name and what practice you are calling from. If the referral is related to a specific patient, we will ask for basic demographic information (name, DOB, insurance type). You will then immediately be connected to a TiPS clinical coordinator.
• The TIPS clinical coordinator will assess the referral and discuss what options are available to assist you.
• TiPS Psychiatrist recommends that all callers speak to one of our psychiatrists as they can help identify the best resource to address the current concern. Psychiatrists are also available to provide direct guidance to medical providers on the assessment and management of a wide array of behavioral health issues. Psychiatrists are available live 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or you can schedule a call back at the time most convenient for you.

Mental Health Treatment of Children and Adolescents - Video Presentations

• Autism Spectrum Disorders - Raman Baweja, MD
• Anxiety Disorders in Youth: Medication Issues - Christopher Petersen, MD
• Disruptive Behaviors in Children and Adolescents - Usman Hameed, MD
• Mental Health Services in Schools: An Overview for PCP's - Richard Mattison, MD
• Treatment of Depression and Suicide Prevention - Lidija Petrovic-Dovat, MD
• Treatment of ADHD in the Primary Care Setting - James Waxmonsky, MD

Families should not change any medication based on this presentation. Talk to your provider if you have questions.

*The information presented on this website is for general use only and is not intended to provide personal advice or substitute for the advice of a qualified professional.

Resources

Enrollment

Thank you for your interest in enrolling into our program. Please complete our Practice Enrollment form. Be sure to list each provider with with their credentials.

COVID-19 resources

• American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry - resource library for families and clinicians
• Child Mind Institute - resource library for families

Rating scales and Screening tools

• Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ) Toolkit
• CATS Caregiver 3-6 Years – English
• CATS Caregiver 3-6 Years – Spanish
• CATS Caregiver 7-17 Years – English
• CATS Caregiver 7-17 Years – Spanish
• CRAFFT Screening Interview (S2BI)
• Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT)
• Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
• Pediatric Symptom Checklist 17 (PSC-17) – Parent and Scoring
• Pediatric Symptom Checklist 35 (PSC-35) – Bright Futures
• Pediatric Symptom Checklist – Baby
• Pittsburgh Side-Effects Rating Scale (PDF)
• Vanderbilt ADHD Assessment Full – English

In the News

• Ask Us Anything About - ADHD/ADD
• What parents need to know about the rise of self-harm among kids (article in Central Penn Parent)

Websites

• American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• National Institute of Mental Health
• Pennsylvania Department of Health TiPS
• The Child Advocate