Automating time off for telepsychiatry without opening a coverage gap

Results at a glance

• Time off and availability automated — no more forms
• Coverage, license, and policy checked before approval
• Policies applied fairly and consistently
• Kept in sync with payroll and HRIS

About Iris Telehealth

Iris Telehealth staffs psychiatrists and behavioral health care teams for 75 health systems across roughly 300 hospitals, delivering 24/7 telepsychiatry into emergency and inpatient departments.

The pain

Time off ran on paper forms. Requesting and approving availability and time off by hand was slow for the care team and a constant drain on operations.

A rushed yes can leave the ED short. Approving time off without checking who is still licensed and available to cover risks a coverage gap — the one thing 24/7 emergency psychiatry can't have.

Fairness is hard to prove by hand. Manual approvals invite inconsistency, and inconsistency wears on care team trust.

A time-off request lands on a form, and someone has to check coverage, licensing, and fairness by hand before they can say yes.

The challenge

Iris needed time off to be fast and self-serve without ever creating a care, license, or compliance gap.

The solution

Untether handles availability and time off with rules that check coverage, licensing, and policy fairness before approving anything — and keeps payroll and HRIS in sync automatically.

The impact

Time off runs without forms or manual checks, and never at the cost of a coverage gap — less work for operations and a fairer experience for the care team.