Dr. Rebecca Allen, President of the Clinical TMS Society, shares insights from growing her clinic that offers treatments like ECT and TMS, while running COMPASS psilocybin clinical trials. Discover how she uses smart partnerships to grow her practice while expanding access to life-saving treatments.
Dr. Rebecca Allen, a pioneering interventional psychiatrist and president of the Clinical TMS Society, is transforming mental health care delivery through her innovative outpatient clinic in Seattle. By offering a wide range of cutting-edge treatments like ECT, TMS, ketamine, and running COMPASS clinical trials for psilopsybin under one roof, she aims to expand access to life-changing treatments for patients with treatment-resistant conditions. In this interview, Dr. Allen shares her experiences growing a leading interventional psychiatry practice, spearheading groundbreaking research on psychedelic-assisted therapy, and navigating the challenges of insurance reimbursement and unregulated treatment models. She offers candid advice for fellow psychiatrists looking to enhance their practice and make a meaningful impact in the lives of their patients. Through her leadership and unwavering commitment to evidence-based innovation, Dr. Allen is paving the way for a brighter future in mental health care.
Timestamps and Shownotes:
[00:00:00] Introduction to the Psychiatry Tomorrow podcast and today's guest, Dr. Rebecca Allen
[00:01:46] Dr. Allen's background and role as an interventional psychiatrist offering ECT, TMS, VNS, esketamine, IV ketamine, and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy at Seattle NTC
[00:03:52] How Dr. Allen got started offering outpatient ECT and the logistics of partnering with Swedish Hospital
[00:09:46] Seattle NTC as one of the largest outpatient ECT programs in the U.S., ECT stigma and underutilization
[00:13:02] Busting myths about modern ECT and efforts to minimize cognitive side effects
[00:16:15] A day in the life at Seattle NTC - ongoing treatments and clinical trials
[00:19:45] Seattle NTC's involvement in the COMPASS trial on psilocybin-assisted therapy for treatment-resistant depression
[00:20:26] How Dr. Allen's clinic got involved in clinical trials (BEAM study, VNS trial) and became a top enroller for COMPASS
[00:27:52] Logistics and challenges of the COMPASS protocol, DEA scrutiny for psychedelic trials
[00:29:33] Dr. Allen's concerns about Oregon's unregulated psilocybin program and the importance of robust clinical trials and medical oversight
[00:35:17] Psilocybin is powerful but not a panacea - the need for thorough safety monitoring and the dangers of broad unregulated access
[00:37:50] The advantages of offering multiple interventional psychiatry modalities to match treatments to patients
[00:39:44] Dr. Allen's role as president of the Clinical TMS Society and initiatives to grow the organization
[00:45:17] Balancing clinical work, research, and leadership roles
[00:47:50] Advice for psychiatrists looking to scale a private practice - seeking expert consultation, reading contracts thoroughly
[00:50:47] The importance of negotiating fair insurance reimbursement rates from the start
[00:52:12] Conclusion and thanks to Dr. Allen