Inherent in Alma’s mission is a dedication to ensuring high-quality, accessible mental health care. Alma Integrity Standards promote this mission by: 1) Creating clear expectations for providers in terms of how to use the Alma platform and tools, and 2) Establishing an environment of safety and respect, while supporting providers in maintaining autonomy of their practices.
Alma Integrity Standards is a collection of policies that sit within the following five categories:
To learn more about each category, please click on the corresponding link above.
We’re proud of the trust placed in Alma by our Members, as well as their guests and patients. To ensure that we live up to this trust, Alma requires that all Members follow these policies to the best of their abilities. When assessing conduct, Alma will always ask for information from involved parties to determine the validity and context.
However, some actions will automatically result in termination from Alma’s services:
- Targeting or harassing someone based on their identity. This includes written, verbal, and physical abuse.
- Language or content that:
- Uses dehumanizing comparisons, generalizations and/or stereotypes towards racially marginalized groups, religiously marginalized groups, and other protected identities.
- Supports or glorifies hateful ideology (e.g., white supremacy, racism, misogyny, anti-LGBTQ, antisemitism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and more)
- Disparages victims of violent tragedies
- Calls for exclusion and segregation practices
- Depicts, promotes, normalizes, or glorifies sexual violence
- Supports conversion therapy
- Spreads misinformation about diseases or international/domestic crises
- Wishes death, illness, or harm on another individual
- Uses profane terms to describe gender identities
- Targets transgender, gender fluid, or non-binary individuals through misgendering or deadnaming
- Targets a person or group on the basis of their protected identities
- Revealing the physical personal address or other identifiable information of another member or member of the Alma community with the intent of encouraging trolling or violence
What happens if a provider violates Alma Integrity Standards?
If there is a potential violation of Alma Integrity Standards, a member of our Integrity Team will reach out to you directly to get more context on the situation and work toward a resolution. We may request additional information, including billing details or copies of correspondence. In order to provide transparency, we will always communicate next steps, including deadlines for receiving the requested information if a response is necessary, or if action is required.
Escalation Structure
The escalation process will vary depending on the violation at hand and how many prior violations a provider has. Typically, we handle violations via email with Alma's Support and Clinical Integrity Teams, but certain flags will be escalated directly to Alma’s Integrity Oversight Committee. When escalated to the Integrity Oversight Committee, there will be a thorough review of a provider’s membership. At this point, a provider’s membership might be terminated.
Alma’s Integrity Committee
When an Alma Integrity Standards violation requires committee review, the committee will review the details of the case and any relevant information provided, such as email correspondence. The committee may send a written request for additional information.
The provider will be notified of the determined sanction and how it will be carried out, as well as steps to appeal the committee’s decision, if desired, within 48-hours of the committee review.
At the discretion of the committee, a review may result in sanctions as outlined below:
- Probation
- Termination
Probation
If a provider is put on probation, their profile will be removed from Alma’s public directory until the issue at hand is resolved.
Termination
If a provider’s membership is to be terminated, their member profile and Alma portal login will be deactivated and the Alma team will begin the process of terminating the provider’s credentialing immediately upon committee decision.
Appeals
Appeals may occur one time. If you would like to appeal a decision that is made by the Committee:
- Respond directly to the email thread about your membership status within 48 hours of receiving the committee’s decision. The appeal must include:
- Why you believe the sanction is inappropriate.
- Steps you will take to remedy the conduct in the present and prevent it in the future.
- The committee will review the appeal in an ad hoc meeting within 5 business days of receipt. The same review process for sanctions will be followed for appeals.
- No sanctions will be carried out until the appeal is reviewed.
- If the sanction is adjusted, a member of the committee will notify within 48 hours of the decision.