Personal Health Records

HealthLinkNow (HLN) provides a personal health record for all HLN patients which includes links to the best health information on the web.

HLN patients can book appointments online whenever convenient for them.

Relevant Health Policies

Practice Guidelines for Telepsychiatry

The American Telemedicine Association has published a set of practice guidelines for using videoconferencing for mental health, published in The Journal of Telemedicine and eHealth, 12/2010. You can download the guidelines at www.atmeda.org. HLN practices in accord with these ATA guidelines.
Privacy and Telepsychiatry

The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) (link here) was enacted to protect patient’s privacy and regulate healthcare operations and to ensure that physicians obtain consent prior to disclosure of confidential health information. All HLN operations, administrative and clinical, are in accord with HIPAA guidelines.

Policy Issues

The laws and regulations regarding using Telemedicine vary in each state. For more information regarding individual states, go to

http://www.telehealthlawcenter.org

The Medical Board of California website has information about Telemedicine (www.medbd.ca.gov). A physician who treats a patient via telemedicine must be licensed in the state where the patient who is receiving the consultation is located. In California, it is required that patients give written and verbal informed consent prior to receiving telemedicine consultations.