[HumanSer] Seeking Information

Wed Mar 25 21:17:18 UTC 2020

Thanks Chris and Doug,
	As well as protecting our clients and our practices, it is important to rememberthat insurance providers have their own criteria.  There are exceptions to their procedures, but they willrequire pre-authorization.  This can take the shape of a phone call to ask for an exception.  It is acceptable to use telephonic sessions per some state regulations.  An example of this is Cigna.  They normally require a HIPPA compliant video platform.  A phone call to request a variance to use a telephonic session provides the approval necessary to be covered.  This prevents a future problemwith payments.

Warmly,

Rev. Michael “Big Dog” Abell
MS, LPC

Helping individuals to find their eyes in the dark.

Visionaries Counseling Services
700 E Jefferson St. Suite 245
Phoenix, Arizona  85034
(480) 369-0805

Notice of Confidentiality: This e-mail, and any attachments, is intended only for use by the addressee(s) and may contain privileged or confidential information. Any distribution, reading, copying or use of this communication and any attachments by anyone other than the addressee, is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this e-mail in error, please immediately notify me by e-mail (
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-----Original Message-----
From: HumanSer <humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Christopher L. Smith, LMHC, LMFT via HumanSer
Sent: Wednesday, March 25, 2020 1:23 PM
To: Human Services Division Mailing List <humanser at nfbnet.org>; Doug Lee <dgl at dlee.org>
Cc: Christopher L. Smith, LMHC, LMFT <Smith at 4mentalhealth.us>
Subject: Re: [HumanSer] Seeking Information

Doug,

I was incorrect about the office, it is OCR at HHS that will not be enforcing provisions during this time (and yes with limitations):
https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/special-topics/emergency-preparedness/notification-enforcement-discretion-telehealth/index.html.
I think the issue, as one example,  is that the infrastructure is not in place to manage the rapid increase in the volume of health providers engaging in telehealth. Some platforms crumbled under the burden, others may have problems executing the volume of BAAs,  and others may have technical reasons why they were not compliant even though they had good security. As another example, there could be HIPAA violations involved in sharing information necessary fo care in the current environment. However, as I said before, this only impacts the federal level of these restrictions.

Christopher

On Wed, Mar 25, 2020 at 4:05 PM Doug Lee via HumanSer <humanser at nfbnet.org>
wrote:

> I'm more in the realm of IT than human services, but I would be 
> extremely surprised if HIPAA rules are suspended because of the 
> coronavirus. If anything, privacy concerns, which HIPAA addresses, are 
> actually raised by this crisis rather than being abated by it. I would 
> urge people to check with their respective orgs to determine what is 
> correct procedure.
>
> I am of course open to correction, preferably with references that we 
> all can use. Please understand that I'm not trying to be harsh; I'm 
> just trying to help prevent anyone from making an expensive mistake by accident.
>
> On Wed, Mar 25, 2020 at 11:48:00AM -0700, Karen Rose via HumanSer wrote:
> As far as I know the need for Hyppa compliance has been suspended 
> through this current crisis. So any platform including just the phone 
> is OK for now. Karen Rose MFT
>
> Karen Rose MFT/LPCC www.career-therapy.net
>
> > On Mar 25, 2020, at 9:42 AM, Michael Abell via HumanSer <
> humanser at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> >
> > Hello,
> >    One thing to remember when selecting a platform to use for your
> practice is to use a HIPPA compliant platform.  Many platforms will 
> state that they are HIPPA ompliant.  It is the responsibility of the 
> clinician to verify this information.  It is also important to make 
> sure that your insurance providers allow the specific platforms that you intend to use.
> The last thing to remember is to check with your state as to what is 
> allowed for telepractice.
> >    We have all worked very hard to get to this point in our careers.
> Let us be diligent in developing this valuable asset.  The last thing 
> you want to have happen is to have a provider not allow payment or to 
> have a board investigate your sessions.  These are challenging times.  
> Let's keep our practices safe as well!
> >
> > Warmly,
> >
> > Rev. Michael “Big Dog” Abell
> > MS, LPC
> >
> > Helping individuals to find their eyes in the dark.
> >
> > Visionaries Counseling Services
> > 700 E Jefferson St. Suite 245
> > Phoenix, Arizona  85034
> > (480) 369-0805
> >
> >
> > Notice of Confidentiality: This e-mail, and any attachments, is 
> > intended
> only for use by the addressee(s) and may contain privileged or 
> confidential information. Any distribution, reading, copying or use of 
> this communication and any attachments by anyone other than the 
> addressee, is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have 
> received this e-mail in error, please immediately notify me by e-mail 
> (
> > visionariescounselingservices at gmail.com) or telephone (480-369-0805 
> > ), and permanently destroy or delete the original and any copies or
> printouts of this e-mail and any attachments.
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: HumanSer <humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Jonathan
> Franks via HumanSer
> > Sent: Wednesday, March 25, 2020 7:39 AM
> > To: Human Services Division Mailing List <humanser at nfbnet.org>
> > Cc: Jonathan Franks <jfranks at nfbtx.org>
> > Subject: Re: [HumanSer] Seeking Information
> >
> > Hello Deborah,
> > Zoom is a very accessible video conferencing platform. Some mental
> health professionals have switched to that as well as many employers.
> > You can use it on the computer as well as an APP. There is also a
> call-in feature if the client does not have a smart phone or computer, 
> they can simply call into the phone number of the conference you have 
> established.
> >
> > Good luck,
> >
> > Jonathan
>
>
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> --
> Doug Lee                 dgl at dlee.org                http://www.dlee.org
> Level Access             doug.lee at LevelAccess.com
> http://www.LevelAccess.com
> "There's no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he 
> doesn't mind who gets the credit." Ronald Reagan?
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