HIPAA and Ethics

 

Originally intended to protect consumer rights and their medical records, HIPAA’s (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) privacy regulations have opened a wide range of ethical and legal concerns for all mental health professionals.

Initially most therapists judged the applicability of HIPAA standards by reference to the area of greatest publicity – the transfer of information over electronic networks. In the few short years since it’s implementation, however, the true impact of this act is just beginning to become clear to therapists. Essentially, HIPAA compliance intersects with a wide range of professional ethics, including confidentiality, reporting, record keeping, informed consent and interactions with managed care. Thus, at this time, the world in which we work has become more complicated by the introduction of HIPAA.

This workshop updates mental health professionals on legal and ethical issues in the field of counseling and psychotherapy. Particular focus is paid to the professional practice issues that relate to recent changes in HIPAA privacy regulations.

In this workshop, participants will discover whether they are subject to HIPAA regulations and if so, to what extent. Proper formats for informed consent will be offered and current ethical questions will be answered.

This class meets the “ethics requirement” for license update.

Instructor: Jeffrey Baerwald, SJ, Ph.D.

Friday, December 8, 2006
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Arts and Sciences Weigand Room
.6 CEU or 6 CE hours
Cost: $140
Approved for: MFT/LCSW/RN LVN/psychologists