PhD/PsyD Telehealth and Licensure Question

[Alipsych]

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For a variety of reasons I'm licensed in one state (Alabama) and living in another (Florida) where I am not licensed.

I've been in a role without clinical contact for a few years but the surge in telehealth and online therapy platforms has me itching to practice part time.

Alabama has little guidance on this from what I can tell and Florida's paperwork is mostly about out of state providers treating Florida patients from what I can tell.

Any downfalls you can see of practicing telehealth in Alabama without a physical presence in Alabama? Any resources I'm unaware of?

 

[WisNeuro]

You need to read up on the insurers that you are going to be billing regarding originating sites and their rules for such. Also state laws regarding telehealth as it's currently a patchwork state by state. And, make sure that all of your telehealth equipment and software are compliant. Last, make sure you, or your tax professional, know the laws regarding income across state lines.

 

[WisNeuro]

Another piece of advice would be looking into the state psych association in the state you will be practicing (where the patient is located). They often have pretty good resources for their members regarding telehealth. We had a listserv and resources dedicated to this throughout the pandemic which was pretty crucial in getting up to date info to our members.

 

[Mercury in Taurus]

Agree with above advices by WisNeuro. I remember reading somewhere in this forum that psychologists are regulated by both states where telehealth is provided from (where you physically are) and to (where the patient physically is when receiving your service), although regulations vary from state to state. The state of Alabama regulates your practice either in-person or virtual, in-state or out-of-state. If the state regulation is silent regarding tele-psychotherapy, then you can contact the board and ask them for clarification. If FL regulation doesn't clearly define, it is better safe to check with them to see if FL has an interest or legal obligation to regulate your tele-practice since that is where you currently reside and provide teleservices from, although the recipients of your services are out-of-state. If you have their email addresses, write to their compliance officers or other executive member(s) of the board.

If you are working for an agency, their credentialing team or the reginal director might have some insight to further assist and share resources. Wish you best of luck!

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Agreed with all of the above, especially with respect to contacting both state boards. In general, as was mentioned, you need to be licensed both in the state where you are and the state where the patient is. So if you're practicing psychology while physically in FL, even if the pt is in AL and you're licensed in AL, FL is still going to want you to be licensed in FL (since you're practicing psychology while located in the state of FL). Otherwise, it could probably be seen as practicing psychology without a license.

 

[PsyDr]

I would worry about jurisdictional issues for lawsuits. One state might have different limits, caps, etc.

 

[ClinicalABA]

Check the State Websites- not just licensure board, but the main site. search for telehealth, emergency declarations, etc. In general at a minimum you need to be licensed in the state where the client is. You may also need to be licensed in the state where you are. There may be covid related exemptions (e.g., in my state, they relaxed these requirements so that college student who were out of state could do telehealth with their campus based therapists.

Personally, I will not do a telehealth session if me and the client are not both in a state in which I'm licensed and am familiar with the jurisprudence related issues.