Telemedicine is the delivery of health care services, such as a rule 25 or chemical use assessments, through two-way interactive video while the client is at one site (such as the comfort of his or her home) and the medical professional is at his or her office in a different location. Telemedicine was approved by the Minnesota Legislature in 2015 and allows for a person to select the most neutral, unbiased chemical assessor available in the state. Additionally, telemedicine allows for greater appointment flexibility and appointments can be scheduled for nights and weekends.
Telemedicine allows for a person to get a truly unbiased, independent, and private chemical assessment through one of the few independent chemical assessment companies in the state, such as through Avitity Health, which is based in Minneapolis. They offer state-wide telemedicine chemical assessments with state-licensed medical professionals conducted over a secure, encrypted web site that are compliant with HIPAA privacy and security requirements and regulations. Call (612) 249-3656 to schedule a chemical assessment via telemedicine.
Going to your local for-profit alcohol/drug treatment center is typically a bad idea. For one, for-profit treatment center evaluators typically have a conflict of interest as they are trained to recruit into their treatment center and not necessarily do what is in the best interest of that person but instead do what is most profitable. This can cause a person to feel pressured to take part in a long-term treatment program or be misdiagnosed. If there is court involvement, the person would be expected to follow the recommendation for treatment - so it is crucial to get the assessment done right the first time around. For two, and because of this conflict mentioned above, individuals that really need help are referred into the for-profit alcohol/drug treatment center’s program, which is likely not the best treatment option available.
Working with an independent testing agency such as Avitity Health helps to ensure you get a fair and unbiased assessment. In addition, since addiction is widely misunderstood to be a moral problem not a medical one, our assessors are specially trained to go above and beyond to advocate for you to involved parties such as court officals or probation agents. Lastly, when a person needs treatment, independent chemical assessors help a person get into the best available treatment program available in the area, since they are not affiliated with any one treatment center, which is often at little advertised non-profit treatment centers. Call (612) 249-3656 to schedule a chemical assessment via telemedicine with Avitity Health.