RoxAnne Koenig, MS, LIMHP, LLC

Electronic Communication Policy

In order to maintain clarity regarding our use of electronic modes of communication during your treatment, I have prepared the following policy. This is because the use of various types of electronic communications is common in our society, and many individuals believe this is the preferred method of communication with others, whether their relationships are social or professional. MANY OF THESE FORMS OF COMMUNICATION ARE NOT HIPPA COMPLIANT AND THEREFORE PUT YOUR PRIVACY AT RISK AND CAN BE INCONSISTENT WITH THE LAW AND WITH STANDARDS OF MY PROFESSION. Consequently, this policy has been prepared to assure the security and confidentiality of your treatment and to assure that it is consistent with ethics and the law.

If you have any questions about this policy, please feel free to discuss this with me.

Email Communications

I DO NOT use email communication as it is not HIPPA compliant, If you contact me via Email, I will respond, but I will not initiate contact in this form. It should be noted that my Email is not encrypted nor HIPPA compliant and you will be choosing this risk. I use Cellular Phone only with your permission and only for administrative purposes unless we have made another agreement. That means that email exchanges and cell phone messages with my office should be limited to things like setting and changing appointments, billing matters and other related issues. Please do not email me about clinical matters because email is not a secure way to contact me. If you need to discuss a clinical matter with me, please feel free to call me on my office phone so we can discuss it or wait so we can discuss it during your therapy session. The telephone or face-to-face context simply is much more secure as a mode of communication. Please be aware that both of these items have possible storage in “the cloud” and this is not HIPPA compliant or regulated from myself.

Cellular Phone and Text Messaging

Text messaging is an unsecure and impersonal mode of communication, texts are limited from anyone in treatment with me for example to verify or update apointment times. So, please DO NOT text message me unless we have made other arrangements. I do not store client’s phone numbers in my phone and I will not know who you are, and I do not have control over who may receive your text message on your end. It should be noted as well that Cellular phones do not have the security of landlines and while are in wide and regular use these days are not 100% guaranteed to be confidential.

Social Media

I participate on various social networks, both personally and in a professional capacity. If you have an online presence, there is a possibility that you may encounter me by accident. If that occurs, please discuss it with me during our time together. I believe that any communications with clients online have a high potential to compromise the professional relationship. In addition, please do not try to contact me in this way. I will not respond and will terminate any online contact no matter how accidental. I do not communicate with, or contact, any of my clients through social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. In addition, if I discover that I have accidentally established an online relationship with you, I will cancel that relationship. This is only because these types of casual social contacts can create significant security risks for you. Ethically, I am bound by my Standard of Ethics not to have outside relationships with my clients as to protect your privacy and your interests. If you comment or interact with my professional profiles, you should identify the risk that others may perceive or wonder about your relationship with myself as a professional and must judge the risk of your own security in doing so. If you use any of the current “check in” aps, you should be mindful of it “checking in” when you attend sessions at my office to protect your privacy.

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Websites

I have a website that you are free to access. I use it for professional reasons to provide information to others about me and my practice. You are welcome to access and review the information that I have on my website and, if you have questions about it, we should discuss this during your therapy sessions.

Web Searches

I will not use web searches to gather information about you without your permission. I believe that this violates your privacy rights; however, I understand that you might choose to gather information about me in this way. In this day and age there is an incredible amount of information available about individuals on the internet, much of which may actually be known to that person and some of which may be inaccurate or unknown. Unfortunately, mental health professionals cannot respond to such comments and related errors because of confidentiality restrictions. If you encounter any information about me through web searches, or in any other fashion for that matter, please discuss this with me during our time together so that we can deal with it and its potential impact on your treatment.

Other use of Electronic Information

If you choose to pay by credit card, your credit card information as well as personal information is not stored unless you have authorized this through the electronic health record system my practice uses. All financial transactions are covered under privacy under PCI regulations.

I also inform you that I use an Electronic Record for each client and these records are covered under HIPPA and privacy measures. If you have any questions or concerns please discuss with me.

(March2023)