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Overview: Today's educated professionals function in a maze of different educational and training requirements, which vary from state to state and from profession to profession. Nowhere than in health care is this more evident where multidisciplinary health care practitioners work together towards a common goal for the patient. What is a profession? What areas of work require the unique professional education, training, and experience that becomes mandated by the state? What work requires professional judgment and skill so as to be regulated by the government through mandatory laws applicable to an individual person practicing his or her chosen profession? State laws are enacted for the protection of the public by legislatures in all the fifty states. A list of individual professions and their applicable statues and administrative regulations takes up entire volumes of lawbooks. These state laws impose significant regulation on these professionals, and often in very different ways found in many aspects of state regulation, from the educational process, the examination requirements, the state licensure applications, and the legal standards and rules of each unique profession. Explore how state licensure boards are created and function at the state level. While most such state agencies have common, core functions and operations, there are many differences - and some requirements that are truly the opposite from profession to profession. Review the common requirements the state imposes on the health care provider. Know the basics of professional education and licensure. Understand the difference between legally binding laws and mere codes of ethics, which are aspirational and do not form the basis for legal action. Find out how to understand and navigate the challenges presented from differing and conflicting state laws governing the many health care professions. Know where key requirements exist that are common to many professions. This program

Overview: Today's educated professionals function in a maze of different educational and training requirements, which vary from state to state and from profession to profession. Nowhere than in health care is this more evident where multidisciplinary health care practitioners work together towards a common goal for the patient. What is a profession? What areas of work require the unique professional education, training, and experience that becomes mandated by the state? What work requires professional judgment and skill so as to be regulated by the government through mandatory laws applicable to an individual person practicing his or her chosen profession? State laws are enacted for the protection of the public by legislatures in all the fifty states. A list of individual professions and their applicable statues and administrative regulations takes up entire volumes of lawbooks. These state laws impose significant regulation on these professionals, and often in very different ways found in many aspects of state regulation, from the educational process, the examination requirements, the state licensure applications, and the legal standards and rules of each unique profession. Explore how state licensure boards are created and function at the state level. While most such state agencies have common, core functions and operations, there are many differences - and some requirements that are truly the opposite from profession to profession. Review the common requirements the state imposes on the health care provider. Know the basics of professional education and licensure. Understand the difference between legally binding laws and mere codes of ethics, which are aspirational and do not form the basis for legal action. Find out how to understand and navigate the challenges presented from differing and conflicting state laws governing the many health care professions. Know where key requirements exist that are common to many professions. This program

Course "Tougher Import Rules for FDA Imports in 2016" has been pre-approved by RAPS as eligible for up to 12 credits towards a participant's RAC recertification upon full completion. Overview: FDA's and the Customs and Border Patrol Service (CBP) have become increasingly sophisticated and equally demanding in the submission of information and adherence to government procedures. Firm's that fail to understand and properly execute an import and export program find that their shipment is delayed, detained or refused. In 2016 entries must use the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) entry filing system or face entry refusals and monetary penalties up to $10,000 per offense. A number of other factors can derail the expectation of a seamless import process. The course covers detailed information about the roles and responsibilities of the various parties with an import operation and how to correct the weakest link(s) in the commercial chain. The course will include tips on how to understand FDA's thinking and offer anecdotal examples of FDA's import program curiosities. Why should you attend: What happens when your product is detained? FDA will begin a legal process that can become an expensive business debacle. You must respond fully within short timeframes. This is not the time for you to be on a learning curve. You need to have a plan in place and know what you are doing. The FDA is steadily increasing the legal and prior notice information requirements. If you do not know what those requirements are and you initiate a shipment, your product is figuratively dead in the water. You must be accurate with the import coding information and understand the automated and human review process. If not, you can expect detained shipments. CBP is implemented a new "Automated Commercial Environment" computer program that changes import logistics and information reporting for FDA regulated products. Your shipment may be stopped before it is even loaded at the foreign port. What

Overview: This lesson is going to get back to the basics using multiple real life scenarios and "what if's". My goal is to make this very confusing and not well explained law easy to understand for the typical staff member. I will uncover myths versus reality as it relates to this enigmatic law based on over 1000 risk assessments performed as well as years of experience in dealing directly with the Office of Civil Rights HIPAA auditors. I will also point out multiple court cases I have been affiliated with where a staff member of a hospital or clinic has been sued or even imprisoned! I will also speak to real life audits conducted by the Federal government (I've been on both sides of these audits) what your highest risks are for being fined (some of the risk factors may surprise you). In addition this course will cover the highest risk factors for being sued for wrongful disclosures of PHI and the manner in which patients are now using state laws to sue for wrongful disclosures. Don't always believe what you read online about HIPAA, especially as it relates to encryption and IT, there are a lot of groups selling more than is necessarily required. Why should you Attend: Are you confused about HIPAA? Do you just want the basics and in plain English? Do you know there are civil and criminal penalties even for the rank and file staff member! Do you know what you can and can't do with protected health information? It is important to understand the new changes going on at Health and Human Services as it relates to enforcement of HIPAA for both covered entities and business associates as it relates to portable devices, texting, and emailing of PHI. You need to know how to avoid being low hanging fruit in terms of audit risk as well as being sued by individuals who have had their PHI wrongfully discloses due to bad IT practices. I have also been expert witness on multiple court cases where a business or medical practice is being sued for not doing their due diligence

Overview: This webinar will cover everything that you need to know about how to handle HIPAA security incidents, breaches, and complaints and the Department of Health and Human Resources Investigations thereof. Not all security incidents are breaches, but all breaches of confidentiality are within the broad ambit of security incidents. Privacy rule violations, such as failing to give a patient a copy of his or her medical records, may also constitute a breach as the $4.2 million fine assessed against Cignet Healthcare of Prince George's County, Maryland, dramatically proved. Handling an investigation properly is key to determining not only how to handle it to mitigate any harm and to take action to prevent it from happening again but also to determine whether it is reportable to affected individuals and to DHHS. HIPAA requires a complaint procedure (policy). The webinar will suggest what such a document should contain as it also will for the required report procedure (what is reportable, who reports, to whom, and required/suggested contents of the report) and the required response procedure (what do the responsible officials do after receiving the report or the complaint). Investigating a possible security incident is key. The webinar will cover how to conduct a thorough investigation of HIPAA security incidents, breaches, and patient complaints. Finally, the second largest HIPAA civil money penalty or settlement, $4.2 million, was in large part due to the offender's failure to cooperate with the DHHS investigation. The presenter has successfully defended his clients in seven such investigations and knows how to respond to them to avoid or minimize liability. Think of a gap analysis as an examination of: What you currently have in place for HIPAA compliance. Is that adequate? Can it be done better? Is it enough? And what am I missing? Asking these questions will help establish the direction and next steps to take. It lays the ground work for a good Risk Analys

Overview: Remember spaghetti code? The HIPAA breach area is now almost as convoluted and overlapping and confusing as spaghetti code. Sometimes you think you are both coming and going at the same time when you think through an event to determine if your organization has had a breach. For example: Is a security incident always a beach? Is an ePHI breach a security incident as well? Is a cybersecurity event always a breach? What if it does not steal any clinical information, diagnoses or procedures information, or any payment information? A security incident? Or both? Are all the necessary kinds of notice in the Breach rule? What is Cybersecurity Insurance? Is it really the finger in the dike or itself full of Swiss cheese? Can the loss of patient or member data be a HIPAA breach and identity theft plus a fraud issue? Why should you Attend: HIPAA breaches now number in the multiple thousands, if not multiple millions. Your organization needs to be prepared for the initial sense of panic, a complete investigation, and the federal, state and reputational costs of a mega breach. A breach now costs in money approximately $225/record. And this does not include any fine of any type. The loss and theft of 1000 records may cost you organization from a quarter to $1 M, or more, and 6 months to a year to resolve. You need to know the basics of what PHI and ePHI really are; what puts the event into the breach safe harbor, what breach exceptions keeps the event out of OCR's hands, what the 4 factors are and how they are used. You need to know that your organization's breach plan and your policies and procedures include the need to notify when necessary the police, the FBI and other state and federal organizations beyond the Office for Civil Rights. Your organization needs to know how to protect itself after the fact by considering Cybersecurity Insurance. Areas Covered in the Session: Definition and reporting of a Security Incident Definition of a breach Breach Guidance Br

Overview: This webinar will cover everything that you need to know about how to handle HIPAA security incidents, breaches, and complaints and the Department of Health and Human Resources Investigations thereof. Not all security incidents are breaches, but all breaches of confidentiality are within the broad ambit of security incidents. Privacy rule violations, such as failing to give a patient a copy of his or her medical records, may also constitute a breach as the $4.2 million fine assessed against Cignet Healthcare of Prince George's County, Maryland, dramatically proved. Handling an investigation properly is key to determining not only how to handle it to mitigate any harm and to take action to prevent it from happening again but also to determine whether it is reportable to affected individuals and to DHHS. HIPAA requires a complaint procedure (policy). The webinar will suggest what such a document should contain as it also will for the required report procedure (what is reportable, who reports, to whom, and required/suggested contents of the report) and the required response procedure (what do the responsible officials do after receiving the report or the complaint). Investigating a possible security incident is key. The webinar will cover how to conduct a thorough investigation of HIPAA security incidents, breaches, and patient complaints. Finally, the second largest HIPAA civil money penalty or settlement, $4.2 million, was in large part due to the offender's failure to cooperate with the DHHS investigation. The presenter has successfully defended his clients in seven such investigations and knows how to respond to them to avoid or minimize liability. Think of a gap analysis as an examination of: What you currently have in place for HIPAA compliance. Is that adequate? Can it be done better? Is it enough? And what am I missing? Asking these questions will help establish the direction and next steps to take. It lays the ground work for a good Risk Analy

Overview: Upon completing this course participants will leave with a preliminary preventive control implementation plan and will: * Understand US FDA final rules for the Preventive Controls for Human and Animal Foods * Define and review your current system to identify gaps in your preventive controls planning. * Be able to develop and implement a valid preventive control company food safety plan to close any gaps * Write and implement appropriate procedures. * Know your requirements for control over your supply chain * Be able to plan and implement HARPC * Be able to perform environmental monitoring * Know how cross contamination can impact your preventive control plan * Know the difference between validation and verification * Understand and be able to use statistical process controls basics * Be able to plan and implement a team approach to preventive controls * Be able to help your food importers to jump through FDA hoops * Develop a system to risk rank your suppliers * Have a plan in hand that will pass any validation check for preventive controls * Understand some of the technology and costs that can help you establish preventive controls * Prove that your system actually prevents food safety problems * Be able to document and report results to upper management, external food safety auditors and FDA auditors * Save your company money Establish simple, low cost complete data collection and reporting systems. * Establish teambuilding between food safety and quality personnel to develop and implement changes to your current system * Understand food safety, security and recall responsibilities in light of cargo theft, adulteration and temperature failures * Learn how to use your system to get some ROI and improve your marketing position * Review current and future technologies designed to improve and simplify data collection * Establish a completely documented system Why should you attend: Validation of preventive co

Overview: As defined by the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), a Business Associate can be any organization or person working in association with or providing services to a Covered Entity who handles or discloses Protected Health Information (PHI) or Personal Health Records (PHR). With certain exceptions, a person or entity that creates, receives, maintains, or transmits PHI for a function or activity regulated by the HIPAA Privacy Rule for a Covered Entity is a Business Associate. The HITECH Act, a recent update made to overall HIPAA regulations require Business Associates to comply with HIPAA mandates regarding the handling and use of health information. As a Business Associate you must comply with a wide-range of regulatory obligations, including certain privacy obligations, security standards, and breach notification requirements. If your business needs to understand what it means to be a Business Associate and know what required safeguards, policies and procedures must be in place or make sure your current compliance program is adequate and can withstand government scrutiny, please join us for this informative and interactive session. Why should you Attend: There is a lot of confusion about the role and requirements of being a Business Associate. Organizations must be prepared prior to entering into these contracts for services as a vendor and subcontractor. Attendees will leave the course clearly understanding of all the requirements that must be in place for the Business Associate - Covered Entity arrangement. After completing this course, a Business Associate will have a clear understanding as to what needs to be place when it comes to all of the HIPAA regulations. Areas Covered in the Session: Why was HIPAA created? Who Must Comply with HIPAA Requirements? What are the HIPAA Security and Privacy Rules? What are the Consequences of being a Business Associate What is a HIPAA Compliance Program? What is a HIPAA Risk Mana

Everybody knows that proper skincare is important. Everybody knows this and yet most people's skincare routines are far from optimal.

Overview: In this session we will discuss the HIPAA audit and enforcement programs and how they work, and discuss the areas that caused the most issues in prior audits. We will explore what kind of issues and what kind of entities had the most problems, and show where entities need to improve their compliance the most. We will also explore the typical risk issues that lead to breaches of health information and see how those issues may be a target for auditors in the new 2016 audits. We will review the contents of the HIPAA Audit Protocol used in 2012 to show what documentation needs to be on hand should your organization be selected for an audit in the new round. We will present methods for using the contents of the HIPAA Audit Protocol to build your own compliance plan by extracting and updating the contents and relating your compliance activities directly to the questions that might be asked. In this session we will discuss the HIPAA audit and enforcement regulations and processes, and how they apply to HIPAA covered entities and business associates. We will explain the enforcement regulations and the new, increased fines and new penalty levels, including new penalties for willful neglect of compliance that begin at $10,000. We will discuss what information and documentation must be prepared in advance so that you can be ready for an audit at any time, including sample information request forms and questions asked at prior audits. The session will also cover how to know if you may become the subject of an audit or enforcement action, and what you can do to help limit your exposure. We will discuss how most enforcement actions come about and what can be done to prevent incidents that lead to enforcement activity. The HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification regulations (and the recent changes to them) and how they will be audited will be explained. Documentation requirements for compliance will be explored and a framework of security policies necessary

Overview: Today's educated professionals function in a maze of different educational and training requirements, which vary from state to state and from profession to profession. Nowhere than in health care is this more evident where multidisciplinary health care practitioners work together towards a common goal for the patient. What is a profession? What areas of work require the unique professional education, training, and experience that becomes mandated by the state? What work requires professional judgment and skill so as to be regulated by the government through mandatory laws applicable to an individual person practicing his or her chosen profession? State laws are enacted for the protection of the public by legislatures in all the fifty states. A list of individual professions and their applicable statues and administrative regulations takes up entire volumes of lawbooks. These state laws impose significant regulation on these professionals, and often in very different ways found in many aspects of state regulation, from the educational process, the examination requirements, the state licensure applications, and the legal standards and rules of each unique profession. Explore how state licensure boards are created and function at the state level. While most such state agencies have common, core functions and operations, there are many differences - and some requirements that are truly the opposite from profession to profession. Review the common requirements the state imposes on the health care provider. Know the basics of professional education and licensure. Understand the difference between legally binding laws and mere codes of ethics, which are aspirational and do not form the basis for legal action. Find out how to understand and navigate the challenges presented from differing and conflicting state laws governing the many health care professions. Know where key requirements exist that are common to many professions. This program offers an obje

How to Know if Outsourcing Medical Billing Can Improve Practice Revenue. Medical practitioners are usually in denial or unaware of the issues they face with in-house billing. Most of them hesitate to take the decision to outsource their...

Overview: Do you know the steps that going into making new clients aware of your practice? From the first time they become aware of you brand, every step you take and every interaction along the way is more important than you know! Learn how to keep your customers coming back for more and singing your praises to those that matter, as well as a surefire formula to make sure your marketing dollars are working as well as you think they are! (Hint: We'll be GIVING YOU the formula to use from here on out!) Areas Covered in the Session: Each step of the customer acquisition, retention and upsell process Formula to determine the ROI of marketing expenses Who Will Benefit: Medical Practice Owners Managers Marketing Associates Speaker Profile Mara L. Shorr BA, MBM-C, CAC I-VIII is the founder and managing partner of The Best Medical Business Solutions, a Florida-based medical practice consulting firm assisting practices with their operational, administrative and financial health. Jay served as the Vice President of Operations and Practice Administrator for a leading Board Certified Dermatologist and Cosmetic Surgeon in South Florida until her passing in June 2012, and is currently a partner in a leading South Florida plastic surgery center and medspa. A Temple University graduate, Jay has served as a professional motivational speaker for nearly a dozen industry organizations, including the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, THE Aesthetic Show, The Aesthetic Academy, The Medical Entrepreneur Symposium, the American Academy of Facial and Reconstructive Plastic Surgery, the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, Vegas Cosmetic Surgery and Global Aesthetics, and more! In addition, he is a Certified Medical Business Manager from Florida Atlantic University. He is a Certified Medical Business Manager (CMBM) from Florida Atlantic University and a Certified Aesthetic Consultant (Levels I-VII) from The Aesthetic Practice Associa

Introduction and some definitions of good personal health. Everyone wants to be healthy but they don't know what is criteria for good personal health. In this article, we discussed signs of good health. Just compare yourself with these signs and you will know you have good personal health or not.

As a matter of interest, many people know nothing about their health, but they only say "We Are Sick", and many people are not healthy and they say "We Are Healthy".

Course "HIPAA Security & Privacy Official - Roles and Responsibilities" has been pre-approved by RAPS as eligible for up to 12 credits towards a participant's RAC recertification upon full completion. Overview: Being the HIPAA Security and Privacy Official involves not only ensuring you know the appropriate patient rights and controls on your uses and disclosures of protected health information, but you also have the proper policies and procedures in place. If audited or the subject of a compliance review you will be required to show the government you have all the necessary documentation in place for safeguarding patient Protected Health Information and indicate how you addressed all required security safeguards. This starts with the fundamentals of a HIPAA compliance program. If your HIPAA Security and Privacy Official needs to understand what all the HIPAA requirements are or make sure the current program is adequate and can withstand government scrutiny, please join us for this informative and interactive seminar. Why you should attend: The HIPAA Security and Privacy Official is the backbone of any organization's compliance program. Often times this role is assigned as collateral duty in smaller organizations. Regardless the size of an organization, the HIPAA Security and Privacy Official must know all the requirements for compliance. This is a critical element of the position. Attendees will leave the course clearly understanding the role and all the requirements as the designated as a HIPAA Security and Privacy Official. This seminar will cover reviews, creation, and amending policy and procedure. After completing this course, a HIPAA Security and Privacy Official will have a clear understanding for what needs to be place when it comes to all of the HIPAA regulations. Areas Covered in the Session: Why was HIPAA created? The Role and Responsibilities of the HIPAA Security and Privacy Official Complying with HIPAA Requirements? What are the HIPAA Security

Overview: Have you ever had a student who was excessively dramatic or who repeatedly monopolized discussions in a know-it-all, domineering, or aggressive fashion? Perhaps you've encountered a student who was so odd or anxious that they weren't able to participate in group activities or complete assignments. It's hard to know what to do when a student's personality just seems to take over your class, but you can't just stand by and do nothing. If they are not managed effectively, students with personality disorders take up a lot of time and can move your whole class in counterproductive directions. Sometimes these challenging students have a Personality Disorder, which is a persistent pattern of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and themselves that is maladaptive, rigid, pervasive, and enduring. Personality Disorders also manifest in the student's emotional response and impulse control and can negatively impact classroom teaching and learning as well as a student's personal and academic success. Unless you are a particular student's psychiatrist, it's not your job to diagnose them as having a personality disorder, but it is helpful to recognize and understand signs of a personality disorder. This webinar will identify different personality disorders and review their common traits and characteristics. You will learn essential tools for dealing with Personality Disorders such as boundary setting, clear communication, and effective classroom management. In addition, you will review relevant mental health resources and when and how to make appropriate referrals to counseling, accessibility services, and student conduct. Why should you attend: If students with personality disorders are not managed effectively, their behavior can have a negative impact on teaching and learning. Areas Covered in the Session: Ten types of Personality Disorders Prevalence and Demographics Developmental issues Common traits and characteristics of Personality Dis

Overview: The primary goal of this session is to demonstrate why the health care organization needs to perform a risk assessment and how to perform the risk assessment. This includes a description of the types of breaches of protected health information that have already occurred and the reasons those breaches happened. The presentation then provides that reasons that a risk assessment is required in a health care organization and who needs to perform the assessment. There are a number of approaches available both for purchase on the web and performed by professionals on site. This discussion helps the participant determine which approach is best for their health care organization and what portions of the assessment are most important to the organization. The topic addresses the key components of a risk assessment and how to perform the risk assessment. This includes how to define the specific risks, how to know, how to assess the likelihood and impact of the risk and the final determination on the level of severity of the risk for the organization. Finally, the session explains how to interpret the results of the risk assessment, how to use the results of the risk assessment for preparing the health care organization's policies and procedures and how to conduct the HIPAA training for its staff. Why should you attend: In addition to the negative publicity and potential fines, a breach of a patient's health information often leads to litigation which is also time consuming and costly. The way to avoid these situations is to perform a Risk Assessment to understand where the health care organization is risk of an unauthorized breach and provide a basis for becoming HIPAA compliant. There are three reasons why a Risk Assessment is necessary: First, both the HIPAA Privacy and Security Regulations require a Risk Assessment for the organization to be HIPAA compliant Second, as a result of the Risk Assessment the organization knows where it needs to address its effo

Course "The A to Z's of HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules" has been pre-approved by RAPS as eligible for up to 12 credits towards a participant's RAC recertification upon full completion. Overview: This session is designed to provide intensive, two-day training in HIPAA compliance, including what's new in the regulations, what's changed recently, and what needs to be addressed for compliance by covered entities and business associates. The session provides the background and details for any manager of healthcare information privacy and security to know what are the most important privacy and security issues, what needs to be done for HIPAA compliance, and what can happen when compliance is not adequate. Audits and enforcement will be explained, as well as privacy and security breaches and how to prevent them. Numerous references and sample documents will be provided. Who Will Benefit: * Information Security Officers * Risk Managers * Compliance Officers * Privacy Officers * Health Information Managers * Information Technology Managers * Medical Office Managers * Chief Financial Officers * Systems Managers * Legal Counsel * Operations Directors Agenda: Day One Day one sets the stage with an overview of the HIPAA regulations and then continues with presentation of the specifics of the Privacy Rule, recent changes to the rules, and the basics of the Security Rule Lecture 1: Overview of HIPAA Regulations * The Origins and Purposes of HIPAA * Privacy Rule History and Objectives * Security Rule History and Objectives * Breach Notification Requirements, Benefits, and Results Lecture 2: HIPAA Privacy Rule Principles, Policies and Procedures * Patient Rights under HIPAA * Limitations on Uses and Disclosures * Required Policies and Procedures * Training and Documentation Requirements Lecture 3: Recent and Proposed Changes to the HIPAA Rules * New Penalty Structure * New HIPAA Audit Program * New Patient Rights

Course "Texting and E-mail with Patients: Patient Requests and Complying with HIPAA " has been pre-approved by RAPS as eligible for up to 12 credits towards a participant's RAC recertification upon full completion. Overview: With the recent advances in portable technology, more and more organizations and their users are taking advantage of mobile devices to save time and get work done more efficiently. Texting, portable e-mail, and Apps are revolutionizing the ways health care providers interact with their patients and get their work done. But the use of these devices comes with hidden costs of compliance, especially if they lead to a reportable breach under HIPAA or state laws. HIPAA Privacy and Security Officers have been struggling to keep up with the use of the devices to protect patient privacy and avoid compliance issues. Even if these devices aren't in formal use in your organization, you need to act now to anticipate their use and make sure they are used properly. This session is designed to provide intensive, two-day training in HIPAA compliance as it relates to the use of mobile devices, including how to use them with Protected Health Information, the policies and procedures you need to have in place to use them securely, and how to manage issues of the "BYOD" phenomenon. The session provides the background and details for any manager of health information privacy and security to know what issues to look for with mobile devices, what needs to be done for HIPAA compliance, and what can happen when compliance is not adequate. Audits and enforcement will be explained, as well as privacy and security breaches and how to prevent them. Numerous references and sample documents will be provided. The session will be valuable for both newcomers to HIPAA compliance as well as seasoned veterans. HIPAA compliance will be explained and discussed in detail, from the basics through the latest changes and new technology issues, so that the attendee will have a coherent u

Overview: Mental health care practitioners work in today's diverse, fast-changing, multidisciplinary health care environment. Nowhere but in mental health is there such diversity of clinicians who provide the same or similar services of counseling and therapy. A potential client has a wide choice of mental health providers from whom to choose. Yet each individual mental health profession has a unique education, training, and experience requirement for practice. While similarities exist, requirements differ from state to state and even from profession to profession with a single state. What are these requirements and how do they apply? The state's authority and power over mental health practitioners often presents challenges to these mental health professionals that are not easy to navigate. Differing sources of legal and ethical authority govern each respective health care practitioner in ways that are similar but not the same. Ethics and law are similar, but not the same. All mental health practitioners must adhere to standards of state law which govern their professional practices, including the very core of the doctor-patient relationship. Codes of ethics and state law may both apply to govern the conduct of this clinician. Even some state laws are referred to as ethical codes. Complaints as to alleged misconduct or ethical failings are received and investigated by a state agency and leave the mental health practitioner with an uncertain process to handle and to defend the state action against them. With this background, this seminar empowers the full understanding and application of ethics and laws for mental health practitioners. Learn to identify and understand an ethical framework for a sound mental health practice. An ethical framework is essential to having the right perspective to examine mental health dilemmas. Compare and contrast regulatory laws and codes of ethics to understand their differing applicability. Know the difference between laws and ethics,