The presentation will review types of claims brought against psychiatrists, potential liability risks, especially with documentation and social media, and provide risk reduction strategies for the psychiatrist in office practice. The goal of the presentation is to provide a high-level overview of potential risk management issues involved with practicing psychiatry as well as concrete risk management strategies, especially related to office policies, documentation, and use of social media and technology.

Course References

• AMA Code of Medical Ethics. Professionalism in the Use of Social Media. https://code-medical-ethics.ama-assn.org/sites/default/files/2022-08/2.3.2.pdf1. AMA Code of Medical Ethics. Professionalism in the Use of Social Media. https://code-medical-ethics.ama-assn.org/sites/default/files/2022-08/2.3.2.pdfFederation of State Medical Boards. Social Media and Electronic Communications. Adopted April 2019. https://www.fsmb.org/siteassets/advocacy/policies/social-media-and-electronic-communications.pdf
• The HIPAA Journal. HIPAA Compliant Email Providers. Dec. 22, 2022 - https://www.hipaajournal.com/hipaa-compliant-email-providers/

Educational Objectives

• Explain the role of risk management in a psychiatry practice
• Describe the types of claims most commonly brought against psychiatrists
• Understand general legal and risk issues when using technology and social media in the practice of psychiatry
• Acquire tools to mitigate risk for a psychiatry practice. 

Target Audience

Psychiatrists, Residents/Fellows

Estimated Time to Complete

Estimated Duration: 60 minutes
Program Start Date: January 1, 2024
Program End Date: January 1, 2027

Faculty and Planner Disclosures

The American Psychiatric Association adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CME activity — including faculty, planners, reviewers or others — are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). All relevant conflicts of interest have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.

Presenter:

• Allison Funicelli, MPA, CCLA, ARM, CPHRM, DFASHRM, AVP, Risk Management, AWAC Services, member company of Allied World. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests. 

Program Planners:

• Jennifer Hackett, AVP, Risk Managment Group, AWAC Services. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests. 
• Rajesh Tampi, MD, MS, Professor (Tenured) and Chairman, Department of Psychiatry, Creighton University School of Medicine. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests. 

Accessibility for Participants with Disabilities

The American Psychiatric Association is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website to people with disabilities. If you have trouble accessing any of APA’s online resources, please contact us at 202-559-3900 for assistance.

Technical Requirements

This internet-based CME activity is best experienced using any of the following:

• The latest and 2nd latest public versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari
• Internet Explorer 11+

This Web site requires that JavaScript and session cookies be enabled. Certain activities may require additional software to view multimedia, presentation, or printable versions of the content. These activities will be marked as such and will provide links to the required software. That software may be: Adobe Flash, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Windows Media Player.

Optimal System Configuration:

• Browser: Google Chrome (latest and 2nd latest version), Safari (latest and 2nd latest version), Internet Explorer 11.0+, Firefox (latest and 2nd latest version), or Microsoft Edge (latest and 2nd latest version)
• Operating System: Windows versions 8.1+, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) +, Android (latest and 2nd latest version), or iOS/iPad OS (latest and 2nd latest version)
• Internet Connection: 1 Mbps or higher

Minimum Requirements:

• Windows PC: Windows 8.1 or higher; 1 GB (for 32-bit)/2 GB (for 64-bit) or higher RAM; Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content
• Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.5 or higher with latest updates installed; Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor; 512 MB or higher RAM; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content

For assistance: Contact educme@psych.org for questions about this activity | Contact learningcenter@psych.org for technical assistance