Behavioral health patients often face the longest wait times, overcrowded emergency departments, and limited access to psychiatric specialists. In this episode of The HealthCast, Phil Zappone sits down with Omar Ziyadeh and Ted Bernstein of Revive Telehealth to discuss how telehealth is transforming behavioral healthcare delivery for hospitals and emergency departments nationwide.
They break down the operational challenges hospitals face, the growing shortage of psychiatrists, and how Revive Telehealth’s on-demand consultation model helps improve patient outcomes while reducing unnecessary admissions and healthcare costs.
From healthcare operations and finance to AI, telehealth growth, and the future of behavioral health delivery, this conversation explores where healthcare is headed next.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why behavioral health patients struggle in emergency departments
- How telehealth improves psychiatric care access and efficiency
- The operational challenges of scaling 24/7 healthcare services
- Why hospitals are adopting on-demand behavioral health consults
- How AI supports but doesn’t replace human-centered care
- The future of telehealth and behavioral healthcare delivery

Timestamps
00:00 – Introduction to Revive Telehealth
00:19 – Omar Ziyadeh ’s healthcare journey
02:00 – Ted Bernstein’s background in healthcare finance & law
04:15 – The behavioral health crisis in emergency departments
06:10 – Why telehealth became essential for behavioral healthcare
09:00 – How Revive Telehealth works inside hospitals
12:20 – The biggest operational challenges in scaling telehealth
15:05 – Measuring ROI and patient impact in behavioral health
18:10 – Avoiding unnecessary psychiatric admissions
21:15 – How hospitals use behavioral health consultations
24:05 – Human-centered care vs AI-driven healthcare
27:10 – The future of telehealth and behavioral health services
31:00 – Expansion plans and healthcare growth strategy

Episode Resources:
Website | https://revivetelehealth.com
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/omar-ziyadeh/
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/theodore-ted-bernstein-jd-mba-mph-5b7ba02b/

Check out what I do helping small businesses here:
Website | https://nxaihealth.com/
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-zappone-647957379/

#BehavioralHealth #Telehealth #MentalHealth #HealthcareInnovation #DigitalHealth #Psychiatry #EmergencyMedicine #AIinHealthcare #HealthcareTechnology #Telemedicine