Mary Karapetian Alvord

The patient and provider need to discuss the confidentiality agreements. Informed consent also means there's a back-up plan, what if I'm on a video with you and you start telling me you have thoughts of suicide? If I assess that it's not just thoughts, you actually have a plan, and that you might be in imminent danger, as a provider, I need to have numbers to contact.

Mary Karapetian Alvord

As a practitioner, I can't smell them, I can't see their eyes as clearly, what their gait is like, you miss non-verbal sometimes, i rely on thosenon-verbal cues provide important information that helps assess the individuals condition each session.

Mary Karapetian Alvord

What is now approved in terms of insurance reimbursement for many insurance companies in Maryland means online therapy is a real-time service that includes audio and video, the way insurers have embraced this service delivery method has been an interesting development.

Mary Karapetian Alvord

I see people advertising that they’ll Skype with you wherever you are or use Facetime to connect with a patient, there are major problems with that because those services are not HIPAA secure. It's incumbent upon the provider to make sure that the video service they’re using is secure.

Mary Karapetian Alvord