Stedfast Psychiatry provides telepsychiatry by secure video to patients located in Florida or South Carolina, covering new-patient evaluations, medication management and psychotherapy. Same-day and next-day video visits are often available. Most insurance and Medicare cover telehealth. Certain controlled substance prescriptions and some patients require an in-person visit. In Bluffton, this is available at 25 Clarks Summit Drive and by video; new patients call (561) 234-4547.
Telepsychiatry at our Bluffton office
For telepsychiatry, residents of Sun City Hilton Head, Hampton Lake, Palmetto Bluff and Rose Hill and Hardeeville, Ridgeland, Beaufort and Port Royal are usually within a short drive. The office is in the Sheridan Park business area off US-278 (Fording Island Road), the main road between I-95 and Hilton Head Island.
Call (561) 234-4547 to book, or request an appointment online and we will call you back. The office is open weekdays 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The office is in the Sheridan Park business area off US-278 (Fording Island Road), the main road between I-95 and Hilton Head Island. From I-95, take exit 8 for US-278 east toward Bluffton and Hilton Head and continue about twelve miles; turn into Sheridan Park and follow Clarks Summit Drive to the building.
Stedfast Psychiatry's Deep TMS and Spravato programs are open to South Carolina patients: the evaluation, screening scales and insurance authorization are done at the Bluffton office or by video, and treatment sessions are scheduled at our Florida treatment centers. Your Bluffton provider will tell you plainly whether a treatment course is practical for you.
Who you will see in Bluffton
The Bluffton team includes psychiatrist Dr. Josh Walters and physician assistant Amanda Skipworth. Children and teens are seen by Savanna Smallwood-Corcoran and Josh Walters.
Savanna Smallwood-Corcoran
Clinician · Ages 5 to 64
Amanda Skipworth, PA-C
Physician Assistant · All ages
Dr. Josh Walters, MD
Psychiatrist · Adolescents through older adults
How telepsychiatry works
Visits run on a HIPAA-compliant video platform through our patient portal. You receive a link before the appointment; it works on a phone, tablet or computer with a camera and microphone, and no account on a third-party app is required. Before the visit you complete the same intake forms and screening scales (PHQ-9, GAD-7 and others) you would in the office. Your clinician sees your chart, labs and prior notes exactly as they would in person.
During the visit we confirm your identity and your current physical location, which state law requires. The clinical content is the same: a structured interview, review of scales, discussion of options, and a plan. Prescriptions for non-controlled medications are sent electronically to your pharmacy. Labs are ordered to a laboratory near you. If a controlled substance is appropriate, we check the state prescription monitoring program (E-FORCSE in Florida, SCRIPTS in South Carolina) and apply the rules described below. Therapy sessions by video follow the same structure as office sessions, including homework and measured progress.
Our providers hold Florida and South Carolina licenses, and we do not treat patients located in other states, even briefly, because licensing follows the patient's location. If you spend part of the year outside those states, tell us and we will help you plan care around it.
Who it is for
Telepsychiatry suits most adults and many adolescents with depression, anxiety, ADHD, PTSD, OCD, insomnia, bipolar disorder and related conditions. It is especially useful for people who live far from one of our 13 offices, cannot easily take time off work, lack transportation, care for children or an older relative, have mobility limits, or find the office setting itself a barrier. It also keeps care going when you travel within Florida or South Carolina or move between the two.
It is a good fit for established patients on stable regimens, for therapy, and for the frequent short check-ins that medication adjustments require. It is less suited to patients in acute crisis, those who need a physical examination, very young children, and patients whose home environment is not private enough to speak freely. We also see patients who alternate: an office visit for the evaluation, then video for follow-ups, or video most of the year and an office visit when a controlled substance rule requires it.
Telehealth accounted for more than a third of all outpatient mental health and substance use visits in the United States in 2021, far above its share of other specialties.
Source: KFF analysis of Epic Cosmos data, 2022
Meta-analyses of randomized trials find no significant difference in clinical outcomes between video-delivered and in-person psychiatric care for depression and anxiety.
Source: Hubley et al., World Journal of Psychiatry, 2016; Batastini et al., Clinical Psychology Review, 2021
No-show rates for telepsychiatry visits are consistently lower than for in-person psychiatric visits across health systems studied.
Source: Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2021 systematic review
More than 150 million Americans live in federally designated mental health professional shortage areas, where telepsychiatry is often the only route to a psychiatrist.
Source: HRSA Health Workforce, 2023
What to expect at your first visit
Find a private, quiet spot with reliable internet; a parked car is acceptable, a shared office is not. Have your medication list, pharmacy name and a photo ID ready for the first visit. Test your camera and microphone a few minutes early. If the video connection fails, your clinician will call you by phone to finish the visit when that is clinically appropriate.
Same-day or next-day video appointments are often available for new patients and for urgent follow-ups, because video slots are not tied to a single office. New-patient video evaluations are 60 minutes; medication follow-ups 20 to 30; therapy 45 to 55. At the end you will have a plan, a next appointment and any prescriptions sent. If your clinician decides an in-person visit is needed, we schedule it at the office closest to you.
Cost and insurance in Bluffton
Most commercial insurers and Medicare cover telepsychiatry at the same rates as in-person visits, and Florida and South Carolina both have laws addressing coverage of telehealth services. Your cost is the usual specialist or behavioral health copay or coinsurance. Medicare has permanently covered telehealth for mental health services, including from home, with a requirement for a periodic in-person visit in some circumstances that we track for you. A few plans still treat telehealth differently, and we verify your benefits before the first video visit.
Self-pay rates are the same for video and office visits: $185 for a new-patient evaluation, with lower rates for follow-ups. There is no technology or platform fee.
Full details, risks and research are on the main Telepsychiatry in Florida and South Carolina page.
Emergency and crisis resources near Bluffton
In an emergency, call 911 or go to Coastal Carolina Hospital Emergency Department (1000 Medical Center Dr, Hardeeville). The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text 24 hours a day. Hilton Head Hospital Emergency Department and 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline are also listed on the Bluffton office page.
Frequently asked questions
Who provides telepsychiatry at the Bluffton office?
The Bluffton team includes psychiatrist Dr. Josh Walters and physician assistant Amanda Skipworth. Every provider works under psychiatrist oversight and the same evaluation standard: about an hour for a first visit, validated screening scales, and a written plan.
Can I be seen by video instead of coming to Bluffton?
Yes. Stedfast Psychiatry providers are licensed in South Carolina and offer video visits for evaluations and follow-ups. Some situations, including certain controlled-substance prescriptions and first visits for young children, require an in-person appointment at 25 Clarks Summit Drive.
Does the Bluffton office take my insurance?
We accept most major commercial plans and Medicare. Call (561) 234-4547 with your member ID and we will verify benefits before the visit. Self-pay new-patient evaluations are $185.
How soon can a new patient be seen in Bluffton?
Most new patients are scheduled within one to two weeks. If you need to be seen sooner, ask about a video visit; those often open up within days. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 or go to the nearest emergency room rather than waiting.
Can I get Deep TMS or Spravato as a Bluffton patient?
Yes. Stedfast Psychiatry is licensed for both. Your Bluffton provider does the evaluation and the prior authorization; treatment sessions are scheduled at our Palm Beach Gardens TMS center and the Palm Beach Gardens Spravato rooms.
Do I have to be in Florida or South Carolina for a video visit?
Yes, physically, at the time of the visit. Medical licensing follows the patient's location, and our providers are licensed in Florida and South Carolina. Your home address does not matter if you are elsewhere that day. If you travel outside those states for an extended period, tell us so we can plan prescriptions and visits around it.
Can I get a new-patient evaluation by video?
Yes. A 60-minute video evaluation covers the same ground as an office visit, including screening scales, history and a written plan. The exceptions are young children, patients who need a physical examination, and some situations where a controlled substance is likely to be prescribed, where state rules may require an in-person visit first. We will tell you at scheduling.
Can stimulants or benzodiazepines be prescribed by telehealth?
Sometimes, and the rules are specific. Federal flexibilities currently permit telehealth prescribing of controlled substances under conditions that have been extended several times, and Florida law restricts telehealth prescribing of Schedule II drugs such as stimulants unless specific conditions are met. South Carolina applies its own limits. In practice, many of our patients on stimulants need at least one in-person visit, and we check the state monitoring database before every controlled prescription. We follow whatever rule is in force on the date of your visit.
Nearby Stedfast offices
If you are in crisis, call or text 988 or go to the nearest emergency room. Educational content; individual results vary. Reviewed by Dr. David Husted, board-certified psychiatrist.