Tips for Using Tele-health

Waves of changes are flowing in rates that are altering the patterns and rituals within all of our daily lives, including our clients. Many people are selecting to move to telehealth. Do you have any questions about how to adopt this technology while still abiding by legal and ethical practice standards? We are here to help.

Some tips:

1) Quickly create a telehealth informed consent document. The Telebehaviorial Health Institute is an amazing resource and even offers a Telemental Health Consent Checklist ($49) to ensure you are including all that is needed to protect you and your clients. Don't forget to look up your State Boards requirements, too.

2) Select a technology platform that's right for your practice. If you only plan on using this in the short term, go for a free option like https://doxy.me (that's a reference code for us - thanks for your support!) If you have a group and everyone is using telehealth, consider the HIPAA version of Zoom which is about $200 a month. Note: a free Zoom account isn't compliant. 

No matter what you choose, make sure to obtain a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) or Business Party Agreement (BPA). This is a document that explicitly states that the company will keep any information confidential and if there's a data breach of any kind, they will report it to you and the US Department of Health and Human Services. You'll need to do that too, in the event of a breach. You'll likely need to do that with your State's Department of Health and Human Services, too. This is part of the HIPAA/HITECH standards. Any technology you are using- email, e-fax, electronic health records, etc...all need one of these.

3) Test it out with a colleague before you use it with your clients.

4) Prepare a short script to share with clients about what to expect when using video. Provide them with explicit expectations for use such as, requesting them to be in a private space, use of headphones, minimize disruptions, silence notifications on the computer and phone and instructions on what to do in the event of technology failure.

5) If billing insurance, check to ensure they will accept telehealth. For location, you'll need to use (2) on the CMS 1500. If providing services to Medicaid clients within the State of Florida, remember to use the modifier (GT) on the CMS 1500 form (https://ahca.myflorida.com/medicaid/review/General/59G_1057_TELEMEDICINE.pdf) If you are a medicaid provider in another state, it is recommended that you check your state’s laws and rules. 

Remember - there has been few times when world conditions have been so conducive to becoming introspective. And we as clinicians are ready and trained to meet people in these circumstances. We're here for you if you need any support. We have consultation packages available here if you need help adjusting to how your business will change. Reach out and let us know if we can help you in any way!