The Ehealth, Telehealth and Telemedicine Blog

The Problem with “Online Counseling” & “Online Therapy” (Part I)

Do we need a new category of mental health service to properly identify the new services being offered online? Telehealth and Telemedicine Precedents When offering telehealth service in the health care world, the patient is seen by someone “in the system” initially for an in-person consult. An administrative assistant will open the file, check the [...]

Is Social Networking Irrelevant to Your Work?

Last week, a Rhode Island doctor who was fired from her job in the ER and reprimanded by the state medical board for disclosing patient information on Facebook. What did she say? She didn’t disclose patient names or other identifying details, but the medical board ruled that by describing her patient’s injuries on Facebook, the [...]

17 Questions to Answer Before Working with Consumers Online as a Licensed Mental Health Professional

What might a consumer want to know when hiring you to work as a “licensed” professional? These 17 questions were sparked by an interview with a journalist who asked me what a consumer might need to consider when hiring a professional online. The questions then, are meant to help both professionals and consumers think about the issues their online therapists should address, at least when asked, if not before delivering professional care.

Skype & HIPAA: What are the issues today?

As stated in an earlier blog post, it’s almost impossible to know for sure if Skype is HIPAA compliant for these reasons:

1. Skype is proprietary software so we do not have ready access to behind-the-scenes information

2. HIPAA was intentionally written as if a document that is meant to evolve as technology evolves.

“Texting” with Mental Health Patients or Clients

Are you confused about what to do when a new patient “texts” you on your cell phone? Not sure what you need to document in your psychotherapy notes? What are your other legal requirements with respect to informed consent?

See this new article for related concerns, considerations and potential solutions. This article contains a discussion of 3 short vignettes about these and several more texting issues.

Googling or Otherwise Searching for Information about Patients and Clients Online

Things rarely seem to be as clear as most of us would like when we look at professional issues online. Googling a prospective collaborator or colleague may be ok, but what about Googling a client or patient?

When you find relevant information, how much do you trust what you see?

What do you verify, and how much do you try to disregard?

Avoiding the “Medical Model” for Online Counseling, Psychotherapy and Telemental Health

Over the last few months, I’ve unfortunately had the occasion to hear a number of online practitioners claim that they do not adhere to the “medical model” but rather believe in the ” business model.” Somehow, these practitioners hold strong in the belief that online practice is not related to traditional practice in the brick-and-mortar world. This position is based in wishful thinking rather than fact.