LANE COUNTY PSYCHOLOGISTS ASSOCIATION
LANE COUNTY PSYCHOLOGISTS ASSOCIATIONMinutes / Newsletter of 11/6/13 meeting.
Officers: President: Maria Sophia Aguirre, Pres. Elect: Peter Powers. Secretary: Bill McConochie. Treasurer: Amy Athey. Web site coordinator: Matt Fleischman.
January 2009 Newsletter
Next Meeting: Wed., Dec.4 , 2013. Unitarian Universalist Church. 6:45 p.m.
Note new general meeting location: Unitarian Universalist Church, 13th & Chambers, Eugene. Meeting room #6. Park in north lot and enter north door. Walk straight ahead to far hall, then right to room #6.
Social time:6:45 - 7:00.
Continuing ed. program 7:00-8:30. Speaker: “Dissecting Divorce” by Julie Gentili-Armbrust, JD
Upcoming programs:
(January (assume not Jan1st but 8th), 2014: “Extending Mentalization to a Native American Population” by Robin Grace, LCSW (I will confirm the title soon)
February 5th, 2014: “Psychopharmacology Update” by Ken Zimmerman, PMHNP (will also confirm the title soon).
Business meeting 8:30-9 ish.
Nov. 6 Meeting: Present:
Sophia Aguirre
Lori Allen
Amy Athey
David Baldwin
Gisela Bergman
Nicole Brule
Rachel Chester
Jon Davies
Art Edelmann
Matt Fleischman
ShoshanaKerewsky
Terri Lechnyr
Ron Lechnyr
Lynnea Lindsey-Pengelly
Joyce Lum
Bill McConoghie
Brooks Morse
Bob Ozwoeld
Steve Pethick
Kari Primo-Liddy
Peter Powers
B. Joann Scheck
Ryan Scott
Doug Smith
Rachel Shepard
Julie Stewart
Teri Strong
Ted Taylor
Nancy Taylor Kemp
Rex Turner
Benedict McWhirter
Ellen Hawley McWhirter
ChaunceWindle
Charlotte Peterson, Ellie Dominguez and Carol Carver were also in attendance.
President Sophia opened the meeting and we all introduced ourselves. ______
7-8:30. Continuing Ed speaker was: Mary Peterson, Ph.D. "Ethics of Practicing Psychology in the Digital Age. An overview from telepsych to social media."
This talk focuses on the ethical and related issues of using electronic systems to provide treatment, send information, etc.
E.H.R. (electronic health records) aid collaboration between service providers (PCP, ER staff, psychologist, case worker, etc.). OMS (office management software) is for internal use. Outsiders don’t have access to the information.
Under E.H.R. policies you can segment data, some that is shared, e.g. with insurance companies, and some that is kept confidential, in-house. Progress notes are shared, psychotherapy notes are not.
You can decide who has access to each class of information. The more you share, the more helpful this can be to collaborating providers, but the more risk there is of inappropriate dissemination and misuse of information. The more you share, the more impressed other providers may be with your clinical expertise and thus with psychology as a viable profession.
In some systems, e.g. V.A. and insurance systems, a degree of detail re: treatment is required to document that service was delivered and to justify billing, payments, funding, etc.
C.C.O. is “coordinated care organization”. Different organizations have different policies re: such issues. For example, Medicare is an organization that has policies of this nature.
We as psychologists must negotiate face to face with administrators in such organizations to have our profession recognized and respected. “If you’re not at the table, you’re the meal”, so to speak. We must speak for ourselves to get a fair deal. And, to make sure our ethical issues are reasonably understood and incorporated into policies, such as limits on what psychotherapy detail is released to insurance companies. OPA needs all the help it can get in this regard. They welcome our offers to help, presumably on committees that send representatives to meetings with other organizations, e.g. the V.A., insurance commissioner, Medicare representatives, etc. Insurance companies have much power.
“Informed consent” refers to the client’s awareness of and agreement to the terms of therapy and therapy note information dissemination…what will be shared and with whom and for what purpose…insurance, court trial (under supeona, etc.).
A client can avoid some of this hassle by paying privately in full for services, thus involving no third party payer.
Electronic systems can be expensive, challenging to understand and operate and must involve staff training for confidentiality, etc. But they facilitate rapid and detailed exchange of information and coordination of services between providers. Thus, these systems have pros and cons.
Telepsychology refers to the use of electronic communication technologies to provide theraputic and diagnostic services to clients, e.g. phone, Skype, twitter, video chats, and e-mail. Personal experiences shared at the meeting imply that such services are more effective if preceeded by face-to-face involvement. Formal research does not find significant differences in outcomes, compared to only face-to-face services.
The psychologist and patient should be informed about the issues, how to use the service, the risks, and legal issues, e.g. legality of providing phone therapy while client is outside the state in which the therapist is licensed.
APA had created 8 guidelines re: telelpsychology:
- Competence. Know how to use the technology and its advantages and risks. When is it advantageous, e.g. to provide services in rural areas where clients live far from providers. Or when a client is bedridden or home bound by pain or illness. Or is out of state on vacation or for other necessary reasons. Know which technologies are HIPPA compliant: Skype is not. Neither is Google Video.
- What is the standard of care/practice in the case at hand. What do other conscientious practitioners do? What backup services are available in a given case? Is a PCP or ER room available for medication support or adjustment? Is in-patient care available? Are familymembers available to support a suicidal client?
- Obtain client’s consent, informed by the issues, to proceed with the telepsychological service offered. APA has telepsychology guidelines for all states. One way to protect yourself without feeling obligated to learn everything about every possible ethical issue that might arise in your practice is to be a member of OPA (Or. Psych. Assn.). With your yearly dues you get 30 minutes of legal advice from Paul Cooney, who serves OPA as attorney. He will be able to give you specific guideance in a specific situation. Also, keep in minde the imporance of consulting with colleagues when ethical issues arise. And make notes of the conversations you have, advice you here, things you do to handle the situation, including details of the issue your client presents.
- Make sure your clients know issues and risks of procedures you offer and agree to them in writing…”informed consent”.
- Dispose of digital information carefully and thoroughly, e.g. dispose of computers in a secure manner, with hard drive destroyed.
- Re: testing / assessment procedures, be careful to assure that client, unaided, is providing responses, not someone else. And that the process isn’t compromised by others overhearing, etc.
- Be aware of possible cross-jurisdictional issues, e.g. phone therapy across staste lines and to clients in states in which you are not licensed. Again, call Paul Cooney if in doubt.
- Know what is and is not HIPPA compliant (e.g. Skype for therapy is not).
Business meeting per sewas not conducted, as apparently there were no urgent issues.
Prior announcement:
Ellie Dominguez works at a clinic that can help people find an insurance policy 541-683-6550.
Respectfully submitted, Bill McConochie, Secretary.
Note: To submit announcements or ads for the newsletter contact . To pay $50.00 dues please contact treasurer Amy Athey, Ph.D., or mail $50 to her at Lane County Psychologists Assn., P.O. Box 12158, Eugene, OR 97440.
Note to secretary: Send this by closed format, BCC, to protect against virus misuse of addresses.