Description

Telehealth.org Master Class Series

Case-Based Learning

Most therapists have never seen the inside of a courtroom. Most therapists mistakenly assume that their good intentions will protect them in a regulatory hearing or civil suit. Their lack of preparation leaves them not only defenseless but, all too often, impossible for an expert to defend in court.

This course prepares the Learner for the often traumatizing experience of expert cross-examination, designed to highlight the clinician’s lack of required expertise, harmful decisions, dereliction of duty, and accentuate the overall lack of professionalism.

In this video training, Joseph McMenamin, MD, JD, conducts a “mock deposition” (role-play) with Dr. Marlene Maheu. He takes the position of a litigating attorney for the prosecution, representing the “claimant” who is suing Dr. Joanne Peterson, portrayed by Dr. Maheu.

Dr. Johnson is an unwitting clinician who took a few hours of telehealth training during her early forages into telehealth. Excited to grow her telehealth practice after COVID, she made a few seemingly innocent mistakes. At the prosecutor’s hand, though, the true meaning of  “a few innocent mistakes” takes a new turn. It quickly becomes apparent that  “ignorance is not a defense in the face of the law.”

This mock deposition will give the Learner a front-row seat on typical courtroom proceedings and expose Dr. Johnson’s weaknesses concerning telehealth-specific actions taken when treating a married woman through videoconferencing. The attorney’s rationale for specific lines of questioning is discussed in detail. It reveals the highly-skilled, systematic approach commonly used by prosecuting attorneys to discredit clinicians and easily make them appear negligent and unprofessional.
Unfortunately, the scenario depicted is not often discussed in clinical training but is 100% reality-based.  In this 2-hour course, you will experience Dr. Johnson’s struggle to defend her approach in terms of:

• Prior experience and training
• Sources of other guidance from colleagues, experts, and written resources
• In-person vs. online sessions
• Website claims
• Intake
• Assessment
• Interjurisdictional issues
• Documentation
• Standards of Care
• Including adjunctive parties in treatment
• Termination

This telehealth training will help you gain the perspective and tools to enjoy the peace of mind that only comes from proper preparation. You will get:

• A full hour of video-based mock-deposition recording
• An hour of additional instruction outlining successful legal strategies for teletherapy.

This program is appropriate for independent practitioners and those who work for employers offering teletherapy. It also is directly relevant for clinicians who have responded to the siren-songs of direct-to-consumer digital care companies. Not all, but many of these companies unscrupulously focus on making a HUGE profit by hiring otherwise good clinicians who unwittingly risk their licenses, put their professional integrity in question, and can easily compromise the welfare of vulnerable consumers relying on them for care.