Contact Us

Provider to provider perinatal psychiatry

teleconsultations within 30 minutes.

877.296.9049

877.296.9049

theperiscopeproject@mcw.edu

The provider line is available Monday—Friday

from 8am to 4pm CST, excluding holidays.

The Periscope Project does not provide services

directly to patients.

The Periscope Project is a free

resource for health care providers

treating perinatal women struggling

with mental health and/or substance

use disorders.

Telephone consultation

between a provider and a

perinatal psychiatrist

Education and tools online

covering a variety of topics on

treatment & diagnosis of

perinatal mental health

disorders

Information on additional

appropriate community

resources in Wisconsin to

support moms

Services Available to Providers:

Michael Lasser, MD

OB/GYN

The Periscope Project is a program of Medical College of

Wisconsin-Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine

made possible through the financial support of United Health

Foundation for the Project launch. www.the-periscope-project.org

www.the-periscope-project.org

“The Periscope Project has actually

decreased my work load because it

helps the patients who require so

much time because of psychological

issues. The patients are improving so

much so they're calling much less.”

Efficient access for providers to perinatal psychiatric specialists with no added cost

What to Expect The Triage Coordinator answers calls & e-mails, verifies provider information & collects

reason for contact. The Coordinator also provides community resource information to

providers over the phone or via email. Resources are only available in Wisconsin.

The Perinatal Psychiatrist returns the providers call within 30 minutes. Provider to

provider consultations last on average 8-10 minutes.

Enroll Today Pre-enroll online! It takes less than 2 minutes

& saves you time during your first call to The

Periscope Project.

www.the-periscope-project.org/enroll

During the teleconsultation, the perinatal psychiatrist may ask the provider about:

-Provider’s identifying information -Patient pregnancy status -Screening tools used & scores

-Current psychiatric symptoms -Diagnostic concerns -Current & past psychiatric medications

-History of mental health or substance use disorders

Tracy Wandtke- Herrmann, CNM

How it Works Health care providers can call The Periscope Project Monday—Friday, 8am to

4pm any time they have questions or concerns regarding the mental health of a

pregnant or postpartum patient and would like to consult with a subspecialty

perinatal psychiatrist.

Examples of When to Call A patient with a history of a mental health condition, stable on psychiatric medication is newly pregnant. Call The

Periscope Project to discuss risks and benefits of medication management during pregnancy & lactation.

Family practice provider is concerned about anxiety symptoms of a patient 6 weeks postpartum, unsure if the

patient is experiencing baby blues. Call The Periscope Project to discuss symptoms & diagnostic considerations.

A patient, 20 weeks pregnant discloses that she is using illicit substances to her OB/GYN. Call The Periscope

Project for up to date research on risks of drug use during pregnancy, treatment options, and local AODA

treatment centers.

During a well child examination, a mother discloses to the child’s pediatrician that she believes she is struggling

with postpartum depression. The pediatrician is uncertain as to how to proceed. Call The Periscope Project to

discuss ways to document and refer mom for care.

Uncertainty of how to talk to a perinatal patient about her score on the EPDS or PHQ-9. Call The Periscope Project

for tips and phrases to use while discussing perinatal mental health with patients.

Not enrolled, but have an immediate need

for a perinatal psychiatric teleconsultation?

Give us a call! You’ll be asked to provide

identifying information, agree to the terms

of participation and complete the online

enrollment within 48 hours of the

consultation.

Who can Call? Health care providers treating pregnant or postpartum patients.

The patient remains in the care of their provider. Providers build their capacity to care

for perinatal patients.

The Periscope Project

does not provide

services to patients,

prescribe medications,

or provide telemedicine

services. All consultations stay within the

scope of practice of the calling provider.

“Overall great experience, I am

amazed at how fast they return my

call, that the information is of high

quality and very thorough.”