Sierra Foothills CAMFT presents

LAW AND ETHICS by CAMFT STAFF ATTORNEYS

A Zoom presentation on Friday, October 22, 2021, 9 am to 4:30 pm.

Last day for early registration is Tuesday, October 19, 2021, at 6 pm.

After you register, a link will be sent to you by our Zoom host Dean Bender, along with the PowerPoint for the presentation and a list of post test questions. You will receive these items prior to the presentation.

A schedule for the presentations and a full description of each are listed below:

9:00 am to 10:30 am:
“Avoiding Sour Notes and Broken Records: Guidance for Creating and Maintaining Effective Patient Records;” - Bradley J. Muldrow, Esq.

10:45 am to 12:15 pm:
“Guidelines for Writing Letters & Opinions;” - Alain Montgomery, Esq.

1:15 pm to 2:45 pm:
“Updates and Resources for Providers Navigating Managed Care in California;” - Sara Jasper, Esq.

3:00 pm to 4:30 pm:
“Tarasoff and Dangerous Patients.” - Michael Griffin, Esq., LCSW

 

9:00 am to 10:30 am

Bradley J. Muldrow, Esq.

presents

Avoiding Sour Notes and Broken Records: Guidance for Creating and Maintaining Effective Patient Records

Bradley is a CAMFT staff attorney and takes member phone calls regarding law and ethics issues and contributes articles on those subjects to CAMFT's publication, the Therapist. He has given law and ethics presentations to attorneys and judges as a member of the J. Clifford Wallace Inn of Court.

General Information/Description:
“How much detail should I include when recording notes?” “How long do I have to keep patient records following termination?” CAMFT staff attorneys receive numerous calls from practitioners who are curious about these and other recordkeeping topics. This workshop will provide therapists with the information they need to create and maintain effective patient records.

Educational Goals:
Participants will become familiar with notetaking approaches that:

1. Are consistent with their legal and ethical obligations;
2. Demonstrate their competence and the effectiveness of their services in case the notes are ever reviewed by attorneys or other third parties during litigation, BBS disciplinary hearings, or other legal processes.

Participants will understand the legal requirements for storing physical records as well as electronic records.

Measurable Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the requirements for storing physical patient records under HIPAA and California law, as well as additional HIPAA regulations for storing records electronically;
2. Recognize the BBS’ recordkeeping standard and identify two additional recordkeeping systems that are utilized by certain third-party payers and employers;
3. Know how long the law requires them to keep patient records post-termination and why CAMFT recommends that practitioners keep their records for three years beyond that period.

 

10:45 am to 12:15 pm

Alain Montgomery, Esq.

presents

Guidelines for Writing Letters & Opinions

As a CAMFT staff attorney, Alain has served as part of the support staff for the CAMFT Ethics Committee and has represented the Association at various state regulatory board meetings. Prior to joining the CAMFT legal department, Alain worked in public interest law as a legal advisor for the Superior Court of California and helped self-represented parties navigate the complexities of small claims litigation.

General information/Description:
Therapists are asked to write letters and/or offer professional opinions on behalf of a client. During this 90-minute presentation, CAMFT Staff Attorney Alain Montgomery will review the key legal and ethical standards for a therapist to consider before either providing a letter to a client or offering a professional opinion.

Educational Goals:

1. Participants will gain a better understanding of the applicable CAMFT ethical standards that relate to writing letters and offering professional opinions;
2. At the end of the workshop, participants will be better equipped to make informed, legally, and ethically sound decisions when writing letters on behalf of a client and understand the boundaries around offering professional opinions in court involved cases.

Measurable Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of the workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Differentiate between the meaning of scope of practice and scope of competence for a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
2. Identify relevant sections of the CAMFT Code of Ethics that address issues related to writing letters and offering professional opinions
3. Identify the types of letters that a therapist is typically asked to write at the request of a client and the situations during which a therapist may be asked to provide a professional opinion in a legal proceeding
4. Explain strategies that can be utilized to make sure that a therapist stays within their scope of practice and competence when writing letters and/or rendering professional opinions

 

1:15 pm to 2:45 pm:

Sara Jasper, Esq.

presents

Updates and Resources for Providers Navigating Managed Care in California

Before coming to CAMFT, Sara worked as the Legal Liaison and Administrative Officer for the Sacramento Police Department. After becoming a CAMFT staff attorney in 2011, Sara has become a Certified Association Executive and earned her certificate in Nonprofit Organization Management.

General Information/Description
California’s managed care systems are complex and often difficult for even the most seasoned providers to navigate. During her 90-minute presentation, CAMFT Staff Attorney Sara Jasper will provide a brief overview of managed care, review new laws intended to improve patients’ access to care and offer resources designed to support providers and patients. Ms. Jasper will also discuss the types of audits managed care providers may be subject to and the laws that govern providers’ responses.

Educational Goals:

1. Participants will gain knowledge of the laws designed to support their work within the managed care arena;
2. As a result of the workshop, participants will be better prepared to navigate the managed care system and respond to records requests from managed care companies.

Measurable Learning Objectives
Upon completion of the workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Identify the different entities responsible for the managed care system in California
2. Identify recently adopted laws that support their work with managed care patients
3. Describe the new parity laws that may improve patients’ access to care
4. Prepare for records requests from managed care companies
5. Identify resources for themselves and their patients when dealing with health care coverage and claims issues.

 

3:00 pm to 4:30 pm:

Michael Griffin, Esq., LCSW

presents

Tarasoff and Dangerous Patients

Michael has a broad professional background in various mental health settings as a clinician, administrator, supervisor, clinical case manager, school program coordinator, and outpatient clinic director, and has served as an oral examiner for LCSW candidates. In addition to his work for CAMFT as a staff attorney, Mr. Griffin is a practicing psychotherapist with adults, adolescents and children in Laguna Niguel, California.

General information/Description
This 1 ½ hour workshop will discuss key issues involved when working with dangerous clients, including relevant standards of care, the “duty to protect” (based upon Tarasoff v. Regents of Univ. of California, and Civil Code §43,92), “patient communication” (based upon Ewing v. Goldstein and Ewing v. Northridge Hospital Center), the “duty to report”(based upon Welfare & Institutions Code, sections 8100(b)(1) and 8105(c)), and relevant exceptions to confidentiality.

Educational Goals
Participants will gain a greater understanding of key legal and ethical issues that are important to consider when working with a patient who presents with a serious danger of violence to another.

Measurable Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:

1. Describe and discuss the “duty to protect,” as it arises from Tarasoff v. Regents of Univ. of Calif., Ewing v. Goldstein, Ewing v. Northridge Hospital and section 43.92 of the California Civil Code
2. Describe and discuss the “duty to report,” based upon Welfare & Institutions Code, sections 8100(b)(1) and 8105(c)
3. Describe and discuss relevant exceptions to confidentiality and the importance of consultation when working with a patient who communicates a serious danger of violence to another.

 

Course Training Level:
This is appropriate for all levels.

Award of Course Completion Certificates:
Upon completion of course, attendees will receive a Certificate for 6 CEUs or a Certificate for 6 Attendance Hours after completing a course evaluation and the post test.

Cost:

Member of any CAMFT Chapter
Licensed:   $40
Pre-licensed:    $15

Not a member of any CAMFT Chapter
Licensed:   $50
Pre-licensed:    $15

Refund Policy:
Early registration closes on Tuesday, October 19, 2021, at 6 p.m. Refunds may be provided prior to the close of registration, minus a $5 registration refund fee. No refunds are available after the close of registration. No partial credit is given for arriving late or leaving early.

Accommodation for disability and for addressing grievances:
Contact Lynne Thomson at lynne@lynnethomson.com or call: 916-987-9616.

Sierra Foothills CAMFT is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFT, LCSW, LPCC, and LEP as well as non-licensed AMFT, ASW, APCC, graduate students and trainees. Provider number is 97723. This course meets the qualifications for 6 hours of continuing education credit for LMFT, LCSW, LPCC, and LEP as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.

All Sierra Foothills Chapter members are welcome to join the Board of Directors meeting. The next meeting is on ZOOM at 8:30 a.m. on October 9, 2021. Please let us know if you plan to attend by emailing Lynne Thomson, at lynne@lynnethomson.com so a link can be sent to you.