Some of our colleagues scoffed at our “paranoia,” including a malpractice carrier. Now that several more companies have developed text-encryption and other security/privacy services, and HIPAA violations are being punished, we see more responsible attention to the matter.

For instance, see the recent article below, entitled, Physician texting provides quick communication — and an easy way to violate HIPAA

After years of using pagers, and constantly waiting on return calls, physicians now consider texting to be an efficient and fast way to connect with colleagues.

Although the technology may result in faster and better communication, physicians who text other doctors could be exposing themselves to privacy and security violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

Though many electronic medical record systems come with secure messaging components, using them requires logging into that system. Sending a simple text from a smartphone — which more than 80% of doctors now carry — is much simpler.

“Physicians are not so much concerned with HIPAA compliance as they are about work flow and physician communication,’ ” said James French, MD, executive director of the hospitalists group at the Cone Health System, a five-hospital system in Piedmont, N.C., during a webinar on texting.

See this webpage for the remainder of the article:

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/10/31/bica1031.htm#top

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Marlene M. Maheu, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the TeleMental Health Institute, Inc., offering a Certificate training program in TeleMental Health for telepsychiatry, telepsychology, telesocial work, and online counseling. Academic books authored by Dr. Maheu and colleagues include eHealth, Telehealth and Telemedicine and The Mental Health Professional & the New Technologies.

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Here are 5 options for learning more about Skype:

1. To learn about Skype or any other aspect of working online in mental health, LINKEDIN is a social networking website that makes communicating with colleagues very easy. You might want to start by going to the special LINKEDIN group already developed by Marlene Maheu of the TELEMENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTE to join over 500 other mental health professionals discussing these topics in a responsible manner. Just click on this link www.linkedin.com and LinkedIn will ask you to register.

Then you may search for the group in the search box in the upper right corner of the page by typing in “TeleMental Health Institute” (without the ” ” marks).

You can try this link if you are already a member of LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/TeleMental-Health-Institute-TMHI-2246364?trk=myg_ugrp_ovr

2. You may want to consider signing up for the TeleMental Health Institute’s newsletter to get concise, well-researched “telemental health” and online therapy information directly from the Institute’s website: http://telementalhealth.com You’ll find the newsletter registration box in the upper right hand corner of the webpage.

3. While you are there, you might notice that TMHI has a 1-unit CE course now available for $27. It was recorded in June of 2011 and details can be found here: http://telementalhealth.com/skype

4. The Institute also has another 1-unit CE course available for professionals who seek a HIPAA-compliant alternative to Skype:
http://telementalhealth.com/HIPAA-compliant-alternatives-to-skype

5. If you are on the TMHI homepage, you will see that Dr. Maheu created a short video in reaction to a New York Times article, “When Your Therapist Is Only a Click Away,” that featured her picture in reference to Skype. In the video, she alerts mental health practitioners about the dangers of Skype and several other pertinent issues to practicing online, such as licensing, informed consent, and arranging for emergency backup.

6. Additionally, you can search this site, Telehealth.net, using the search box in the upper right hand corner of the page, for other entries about Skype.

Marlene M. Maheu, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the TeleMental Health Institute, Inc., offering a Certificate training program in TeleMental Health for telepsychiatry, telepsychology, telesocial work, and online counseling. Academic books authored by Dr. Maheu and colleagues include eHealth, Telehealth and Telemedicine and The Mental Health Professional & the New Technologies.

To gauge how you are using the risk management procedures she outlined in the webinar, Dr. Maheu is offering a private, 30-minute consultation on any topic related to telehealth to the author of the most impactful essay submitted in the comment section below. Submissions are open until June 18 at 12 midnight, Pacific time.

How you are applying the options given in the webinar?

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Marlene M. Maheu, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the TeleMental Health Institute, Inc., offering a Certificate training program in TeleMental Health for telepsychiatry, telepsychology, telesocial work, and online counseling.  Academic books authored by Dr. Maheu and colleagues include eHealth, Telehealth and Telemedicine and The Mental Health Professional & the New Technologies.

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Marlene M. Maheu, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the TeleMental Health Institute, Inc., which offers a Certificate training program in TeleMental Health for telepsychiatry, telepsychology, telesocial work, and online counseling.  Academic books authored by Dr. Maheu and colleagues include eHealth, Telehealth and Telemedicine and The Mental Health Professional & the New Technologies.

This 60-minute webinar will examine the ways in which SKYPE’s lack of disclosure about HIPAA and HITECH compliance can compromise you if something goes wrong with your treatment of a patient, and offer you possible solutions if you choose to take the inherent risks involved.

Discover the Telemental Health Institute Model for protecting yourself and you patient while using SKYPE, Google Talk, Oovoo or any other free, VoIP-based public Internet video platform.  The TeleMental Health Institute is the leading telemental health consulting and training group for Internet-based practice.

In this webinar, Dr. Maheu will be interviewed by Dr. Joe Bavonese from Uncommon Practices.  Send your pre-webinar questions to info@telementalhealth.com.  Audio recording will be made available to  registrants.

Date:  June 6, 2011

Time:  2 p.m. Eastern (11 a.m. Pacific)

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Marlene M. Maheu, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the TeleMental Health Institute, Inc., which offers a Certificate training program in TeleMental Health for telepsychiatry, telepsychology, telesocial work, and online counseling.  Academic books authored by Dr. Maheu and colleagues include eHealth, Telehealth and Telemedicine and The Mental Health Professional & the New Technologies.