Approved and effective: 9/9/2020
Last reviewed and revised: 5/1/2023

Policy Brief & Purpose

This policy elaborates on the eligibility, approval, oversight, and potential dismissal from TPN.health as they pertain to the status of the TPN.health user's license or certification (to be referred to in this document as "credential"). For the purposes of transparency, each TPN.health user will have access to the written policies of TPN.health pertaining to:

• The impact of their credential status on their eligibility for a TPN.health account;
• The repercussions of changes in their credential status; and
• The manner in which TPN.health would intervene should a change in credential status be discovered.

Additional terms and limitations regarding account status and changes therein NOT pertaining to credential status will be found in TPN.health's Terms of Service page.

Scope

This policy pertains to all individual TPN.health users with full access to the features of TPN.health.

Policies

Conduct

TPN users are expected to conduct themselves to the highest standards possible as outlined in the code of ethics pertinent to each user's professional governing board. Additionally, TPN.health users are expected to adhere to the TPN.health rules of conduct as written in the Terms and Conditions of TPN.health usage.

Reporting

TPN contains a feature whereby users can anonymously report another user for unethical conduct or profile misuse. This feature is intended to be used in good faith on the part of the reporting user to uphold the standards of trust represented by TPN.health. The reporting feature must never be used for the purposes of harassment, retribution, or otherwise targeting a TPN.health user for malicious reasons.

Dismissal

TPN maintains the right to approve and dismiss users according to the standards of ethical conduct and mission of TPN.health. TPN.health will seek guidance from the ethical codes of behavioral health professions - both national and local - in determining conduct that violates ethical standards. TPN.health determines and enforces its own guidelines in determining the dismissal of a user. The scope within which TPN.health can intervene is limited to approving, overseeing, and terminating TPN.health eligibility. The determination of the appropriateness of sanctions on a professional credential and the credential holder is only within the purview of the professional credential issuing/governing body. Any user with concerns over the ethical conduct of another user is encouraged to contact the professional board of that user to submit a formal complaint.

Procedures

Reporting

1. TPN is notified whenever a user profile is reported.
2. Upon receiving a report, TPN.health Clinical staff will review the information provided in the report to determine if an investigation is warranted.
3. If an investigation is determined to be warranted, TPN.health will obtain information by various means to determine the nature and veracity of the report and whether or not a conduct violation has taken place and constitutes the need for intervention by TPN.health. The obtaining of information may include searching any available internal support documentation.
4. If the reported user is found to be in clear violation of professional ethics or TPN.health rules of conduct, the following procedures will be followed:
   
   1. The reported user will be flagged internally within the TPN.health system. This flag will not be visible to other TPN.health users
      
      1. If the violation is determined to be correctable and this is the user's first violation:
         
         1. The reported profile will be changed from "Approved" to "View Only" until the reported issue is resolved.
         2. The reported user will be contacted by TPN.health Clinical staff and will be given 24-48 hours to correct the reported issue.
         3. If the issue is corrected, the internal flag will remain indefinitely and the "View Only" status of the profile will be restored to "Approved" status.
5. Reports from users will also result in an automatic reverification of the reported user.

Dismissal

1. 1. If a user is found to be in clear violation of professional ethics or TPN.health rules of conduct, and that user has already been internally flagged as having been in violation of ethics or TPN.health rules of conduct, the profile will be deactivated and the user notified of dismissal from the network.
   2. If a user is found to be in clear violation of professional ethics or TPN.health rules of conduct and the violation constitutes an act of gross abuse, negligence, or harm to another person, the user will be dismissed from the network, with or without notification, and will be ineligible to join in the future.