LOS ANGELES COUNTY
DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH
  Policy 308.01 Telehealth & Telephone Services
 
  PROCEDURES
  1. Workforce members shall obtain a Consent for Services prior to the providing any telehealth and/or telephone services.
  2. In the event of a technology breakdown causing a disruption of the session, workforce members shall have a backup plan in place.
  3. Workforce members shall assure before every session that:
    1. Bidirectional transmission of audio and visual signals are encrypted.
    2. They are using ONLY Chief Information Office Bureau (CIOB)-approved systems and solutions specifically configured for DMH videoconferencing purposes.
      1. The use of personally-owned software for telehealth is strictly prohibited. 
    3. They regularly update their devices for current privacy protections 
  4. Workforce members shall obtain Consent to Photograph/Audio Record from a client in order to record a session for purposes of quality improvement or training.
    1. DMH prohibits videotaping, audiotaping, recording, saving, and storing photograph and/or audio recording without consent.
  5. Workforce members authorized to connect from a field-based or home office setting shall ensure the following controls are implemented:
    1. The video teleconferencing computing device shall be:
      1. Physically protected
      2. Not shared with any unauthorized persons
      3. Locked or logged off while unattended
      4. Connected to a secure Wi-Fi or a private broadband network 
        1. Video/audio teleconferencing from any public or private password-free Wi-Fi connection is strictly prohibited.
    2. The information cannot be visible and/or audible to any unauthorized person.
    3. Workforce members who elect to work remotely must adhere to Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Policy 9.090 and comply with required trainings per DMH Policy 603.07. 
  6. Environmental Considerations:
    1. There is a reasonable expectation of privacy, including controlling for outside noise and other distractions (i.e. driving while engaged in services).
    2. Any additional participants shall be authorized by the client in accord with DMH Policy 501.10 Inclusion of Third Parties in Client Sessions.
  7. In the cases of group and/or family sessions, workforce members shall remind group/family members prior to the session to:
    1. Refrain from using last names of others
    2. Ensure they are in a private area
    3. Use headphones to limit the possibility of other people overhearing confidential information
  8. Clients leaving the State temporarily
    1. When a client is in crisis, the workforce member shall take whatever actions necessary to ensure the safety of the client.
    2. When a workforce member becomes aware that a client will be temporarily leaving the State, prior to the client’s departure to support the safety and well-being of the client while out-of-State, the workforce member and client shall review:
      1. Emergency and other resources available, and
      2. Skills learned in treatment
    3. If a practitioner intends to provide services that require a license to the client while the client is out-of-State, the practitioner must adhere to the licensing laws of the state where the client is temporarily located.
      1. A practitioner is not prohibited from billing Medi-Cal for services provided to a client who is temporarily out-of-State simply because that client is temporarily out-of-State.