"Psychotherapy Gets Extra Privacy and Security Measures"

As of February 17th, patients do not have to worry about a breach in privacy due to added technology or electronically sent information. Not only are will the standards of HIPAA be raised, but their is an even stronger provisions for psychotherapy records.

The stigma that follows patients seeking psychiatric treatment and depending on their mental stability at the time is extremely harmful and very dangerous if information is exposed. Not only for social reasons, but economical to being denied a job and a multitude of other negative consequences.

The advancements in psychotherapy and getting the greater public to understand how important and sensitive this matter is are great. Even in the military, when a point in time a commanding officer could get any and all records just 20 years ago, now we are at a point where their records are almost if not just as private as civilians.

Some benefits that come with this new law for the psychotherapy world are:

• Implement a process to explore segmenting particularly sensitive patient records (such as mental health records)
• Provide a notice to the patient when privacy is breached
• Protect well-established psychotherapist-patient privilege currently recognized under federal and state law
• Incorporate HIPAA Privacy and Rule Standards where possible, including with regard to psychotherapy notes and other sensitive patient information

Electronic health records network can become a true benefit concerning patient care cost and quick accessibility, I am grateful that is was not at the cost of protection of the patients.

http://www.apa.org/releases/hitech.html