Medical notes may never be the same again. The Open Notes policy allows patients to read their record without delay, and nearly prevents doctors from withholding notes in the interest of safety. Here we share tips on how to use this policy to enhance the therapeutic relationship.

Smartphone apps are a useful, patient-centered resource for continued substance use treatment. We’ll explore the two current FDA-cleared SUD treatment apps as well as other popular ones on the market to help you determine the best approach for discussing these apps with your patients.

“Don’t think of it as telepsychiatry, think of it as a home visit,” says Peter Yellowlees as he teaches us how to create more meaningful interactions through the digital screen. Dr. Yellowlees covers many of the dicey details of this medium: Involuntary hospitalization, interstate regulations, medical notes, billing, and how to set up the equipment on a budget are all inside.

There are plenty of ways that we use technology in psychiatric practice these days—including e-prescribing, electronic health records, referring patients to websites for psychoeducation, etc. But when was the last time you referred a patient to their computer for psychotherapy? Well, it may be time to consider it.

No one seems to be without a cell phone these days, so it only makes sense that we should start using these devices to carry out tasks that we used to do in a more “old-fashioned” way.

Whether you see your patients quarterly, monthly, or even weekly, you certainly are not with them as much as their cell phones are.

Most of you have probably heard about “meaningful use” and federal incentives to get going with an electronic health record. But how applicable is this for psychiatrists? And what in the world is “meaningful use” anyway?

The charge of this committee is to follow developments in electronic health record issues—more related to policy than to technology—and to serve as a resource for members and for other councils and committees of the APA.