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Consulting with the Periscope Project

Efficient access for providers to perinatal psychiatric specialists and related resources.

Consultations

The Periscope Project provides free, consultative support to health care providers caring for pregnant and postpartum women struggling with behavioral health conditions. Periscope provides services by phone and email, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. CST, excluding holidays. Phone response within 30 minutes. Email response within one business day. We cannot accommodate calls or emails from patients or family members.

Get the most out of your teleconsultation (PDF)
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Consult With Us

Who Can Call?

Health care providers or professionals caring for pregnant and/or postpartum patients in Wisconsin.

Including, but not limited to:

  • Physicians
  • Midwives
  • Advanced Practice Providers
  • Registered Nurses
  • Psychotherapists
  • Family Support Workers
  • Social Workers

All consultations remain within the scope of practice of the calling provider type.

Examples of When to Call

  • Newly pregnant patient with a history of depression, stable on psychiatric medication. Call to discuss risks and benefits of medication management during pregnancy and lactation.

  • Pregnant patient discloses she is using illicit substances. Call for up to date information on risks of substance use disorder during pregnancy and treatment options.

  • Postpartum patient scores high on depression screening. Call to discuss next steps for diagnosis and possible treatment options.

How It Works

Teleconsultation is a way for one health care provider to obtain professional opinion from another health care provider who is not located in the same place. Different from telemedicine, teleconsultations are not available directly to patients. With a limited number of perinatal psychiatrists in Wisconsin, the Periscope Project gives health care providers a means for discussing perinatal psychiatric disorders with an expert.

The Periscope Project does not review charts, prescribe medications, diagnose, or provide direct treatment to patients.

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Provider calls the Periscope Project

Calls and emails are answered by a triage coordinator Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., excluding holidays.

Basic provider information, reason for contact, and direct call back number are collected. Triage typically takes less than 2 minutes.

Resource information is provided by the triage coordinator. The coordinator assists providers in identifying local maternal ongoing mental health and substance abuse support options available to the patient. Resource information is emailed to the inquiring provider.

Resource information includes peer support groups, psychotherapy services, mental health treatment (including prescribers comfortable in the management of pregnant and postpartum women), substance use treatment, and perinatal loss support.

Perinatal psychiatrist returns call within 30 minutes

Within 30 minutes, a perinatal psychiatrist will contact the inquiring provider at the number provided. On average, the response time is less than 9 minutes.

The providers will have a case-based conversation. The perinatal psychiatrist will offer evidence-based education and recommendations to the provider based on the information provided during the conversation.

Topics for teleconsultation may include diagnostic support, treatment planning, and medication use in the perinatal period. Questions may be general or specific.

Consultations are provided within the scope of the callers practice. The psychiatrist will discuss medications only with those providers with prescribing rights (i.e. physicians and mid-level providers). Non-medical professionals, like home visitors, or ancillary support can call the provider line to receive education or access community resource information.

Staffing perinatal psychiatrists are certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in Psychiatry with clinical experience in perinatal psychiatric settings.

Provider continues to care for patient

In most circumstances, the calling provider is able to continue managing care of their perinatal patient’s behavioral health condition.

The Periscope Project offers a range of educational materials designed to enhance understanding of perinatal mental health conditions:

At times, the perinatal psychiatrist may recommend the patient be seen by a psychiatrist or sub-specialty perinatal psychiatrist for in-person evaluation.

One hundred percent (100%) of responding providers are satisfied with the services they received and agree they will use the information obtained during the consultation for future care of their patients.

Contact Us

The Periscope Project is a free program of the Medical College of Wisconsin – Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine.

Provider Consultations

(877) 296-9049
theperiscopeproject@mcw.edu

Available Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. CST, excluding holidays

Response Time

  • Phone response within 30 minutes
  • Email response within one business day

Beyond Our Scope

The Periscope Project does not provide services directly to patients, prescribe medications, or provide telemedicine services.