It’s Almost Here!

The CTAMFT Annual Conference is just days away!

On April 25 and 26, 2013 we are proud to bring you what we consider to be the best conference this country has to offer.

We have packed 2 days full of learning, networking and sharing, there is  something for absolutely everyone.

The beautiful Mystic Marriott helps make this 2-day event even more special.

Please contact any of the Board members if you have questions or need more information, and we look forward to seeing you there!

2013 Annual Conference and Meeting

It’s almost here!

2013 Annual Conference

Our 2013 Annual Conference is April 25-26.

Following a year of engaging our neighboring divisions in discussion about collaborating for growth opportunities, the Rhode Island division has elected to join us in hosting an expanded conference offering.

Our upcoming conference will encompass two days and feature multiple popular presenters including: Dr. Kenneth Hardy, Dr. Eliana Gil and Charlette Mukulka.

There will be new social and networking opportunities (hey Students – we mean you too!) along with special discounted room rates ($149!)  from the Mystic Marriott to enhance your visit and encourage overnight stays - but they will sell out so make your reservations now.

We are offering multiple ticketing options to accommodate various needs – even 50% off 2013 Annual Conference Non-Profit Registration for groups of 4 or more from agencies or non-profits.

And for those of you who were lucky enough to attend last year’s amazing Conference, this year is going to be even better!

As always, more detailed information can be found on our website at ctamft.org, or you can email us at manager@ctamft.org.

See you there!!

To Panel or Not to Panel

Health Insurance

On Saturday March 2, Katherine Allen, current CTAMFT Board Member, was one of many graduates asked to participate on a panel for Ingeborg Haug’s Ethics class of current MFT students at Fairfield University regarding “Life After Graduation”. One of the topics that was discussed was the choice and process regarding accepting insurance and getting on insurance panels.

Luckily, for Fall/Winter 2011, Katherine had written an article for Connecticut Connection, the CTAMFT Newsletter, titled To Panel or Not to Panel. It is being re-posted here for the students and for anyone who wishes to look into accepting insurance in your private practices.

As always, Katherine is available to field questions at marketing@ctamft.org.

HIPAA and Your Mobile Devices

To follow up on some of the information from the Professional Development workshop in October, Social Media for Tharapists and HIPAA Compliance, here is a great new video with more broad ideas on how to keep your practice and your clients privacy safe.

In addition, this article helps remind us all about how important following HIPAA guidelines is, and how hard things can be when something goes wrong.

As always, please contact us at manager@ctamft.org if you’d like more information or guidance on how to get started.

Letter from the President – Healing From Trauma

Dorothy Timmermann, LMFT, CTAMFT Board President

Dear Members,

We will never forget the tragedy that hit our home state of Connecticut just a few short weeks ago. To our friend and colleague Nelba Márquez-Greene and her family, there just are no words to adequately express our sympathies. We understand the trauma of losing your Ana will have an everlasting effect and we collectively hope for the strength and courage you need to heal. We wish to share with everyone that a contribution from our membership was made in honor of Ana Grace Márquez-Greene as a small act of giving from us all.

We are grateful that this year’s Annual Conference theme is Healing Through Family Therapy. We are honored to welcome Dr. Eliana Gil and Dr. Kenneth Hardy as keynote speakers for this event. The format has changed and we are excited to offer a broader program spanning two days which allows so much more time for our connections and relationships to grow. Please consider spending this time with us. Details and registration are now available online at ctamft.org.

Also included in this month’s news you will find information about the new CPT codes that are now in effect, CTAMFT Bylaw Updates, information about CTAMFT’s New Video Workshop Series, 2013 Call for Election Nominations, and the Final Call for Poster Submissions (for the Annual Conference). We appreciate your involvement and hope that you are finding what you are looking for from us. As always, please feel free to contact us with any of your individual needs or ideas.

All my best,
Dorothy

2013 CPT Code Changes

For 2013 there have been major changes to the codes in the Psychiatry section of the AMA’s Current Procedural Terminology, the codes that must be used for billing and documentation for all insurers. These changes apply to any services provided beginning January 1, 2013.

• A distinction has been made between an initial evaluation with medical services done by a physician (90792) and an initial evaluation done by a non-physician (90791).
• The psychotherapy codes have been simplified and expanded to include time with both the patient and/or family member: There are now just three timed codes to be used for psychotherapy in all settings (90832  30-minutes; 90834  45-minutes; 90837  60-minutes) instead of a distinction made by setting and whether E/M services were provided.
• The psychotherapy codes that remain the same include family therapy, patient not present (90846), family therapy with patient present (90847), multi-family group treatment (90849) and group therapy (90853).

There are also new codes for Crisis Psychotherapy, Interactive Complexity Add-on, and extended session times (+30-minutes, +45-minutes and +60-minutes), if your agency or practice accommodates those scenarios.

Please visit ctamft.org and read the AMA’s full description in more detail.

CTAMFT’s New Video Workshop Series

CTAMFT is excited to offer CEU opportunities that can be taken advantage of – anytime!

Our first offering is from the October 12, 2012 Professional Development workshop on Social Media and HIPAA Compliance, presented by Katherine Allen, LMFT. This will be a 2-video series. The first downloadable video is expected to be available later this month.

We hope you enjoy this promo of the workshop video. Please visit the new store launching later this month on ctamft.org to take advantage of this offering.