Liability Considerations
According to the Rural Community Health Toolkit, a risk management plan can help rural healthcare facilities prepare for potential liability issues. This is described further in the Implementation Concerns section of the Rural Community Health Toolkit. These are serious issues and legal professionals may need to be consulted in addressing them. This toolkit highlights some of the main issues that should be considered, but additional guidance should be sought on each of them.
In the field of mental health, some liability risks include:
- The ability of primary care providers to diagnosis mental health conditions
- The potential negative side effects of off-label prescriptions
- Not prescribing antidepressant prescriptions when necessary
Resources to Learn More
Increasing
Access to Behavioral Health Care Through Technology
Document
Discusses liability issues, which need to be considered when implementing mental health programing through
telehealth.
Organization(s): Health Resources and Services Administration
Date: 2/2013
Laws and Regulations
Website
Provides a list of laws and regulations related to providing substance abuse and mental health services.
Organization(s): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA)