Psychology | The Health Law Firm Blog

Please, Please, Please Do NOT Talk to the Department of Health (DOH) Investigator

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

Whether you are a psychiatrist, psychologist, licensed clinical social worker, or another type of mental health professional, I beseech you: please do not talk to a Department of Health (DOH) investigator until you have talked to a health lawyer who is experienced with DOH investigations and board licensing complaints. Do not answer or respond to even the most basic questions about where you work now, what your address is or if you know patient x, until consulting with counsel.

Admitting to the Simplest Facts May Harm You.

We are routinely consulted by mental health professionals and other healthcare […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:49-04:00May 15, 2018|Clinical Social Worker, Intern, Marital and Family Therapist, Mental Health Counselor, Mental Health Counselor Law, Mental Health Law Blog, Psychology, Resident|

Woman Admits to Defrauding Medicaid For Fake Mental and Behavior Health Services

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

A North Carolina woman pleaded guilty on September 14, 2012, for her involvement in a health care scheme that allegedly defrauded Medicaid from 2008 to 2011 for fake mental and behavior health services. Through this scheme, she allegedly obtained at least $6.1 million in fraudulent reimbursement payments, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Click here to see the press release from the FBI.

Medicaid Beneficiaries Were Primarily Children.

An article in the Gaston Gazette stated the former licensed professional counselor, who was enrolled […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:49-04:00May 15, 2018|Clinical Social Worker, Intern, Marital and Family Therapist, Medicaid audit, Mental Health Counselor, Mental Health Counselor Law, Psychology, Resident|

Medicare and Medicaid Audits of Psychologists and Other Mental Health Professionals – Part 2

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

Over the past year I have observed an increasing number of Medicare and Medicaid audits being initiated against psychologists and other mental health professionals.

I have recently seen a number of audits initiated against psychologists and mental health professionals who treat assisted living facility (ALF) and skilled nursing facility (SNF) residents. Most often these are audits by the Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC), because this area of medical practice has been identified as one fraught with fraud and abuse. Sometimes these are only “probe” audits, initial audits requesting one (1) to five […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:49-04:00May 15, 2018|Medicaid audit, Medicare Audit, Medicare Fraud, Mental Health Counselor, Mental Health Counselor Law, Psychology|

Medicare and Medicaid Audits of Psychologists and Other Mental Health Professionals – Part 1

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

Over the past year I have observed an increasing number of Medicare and Medicaid audits being initiated against psychologists and other mental health professionals.

I have recently seen a number of audits initiated against psychologists and mental health professionals who treat assisted living facility (ALF) and skilled nursing facility (SNF) residents. Most often these are audits by the Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC), because this area of medical practice has been identified as one fraught with fraud and abuse. Sometimes these are only “probe” audits, initial audits requesting one (1) to five […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:49-04:00May 15, 2018|Clinical Social Worker, Intern, Marital and Family Therapist, Medicare Fraud, Mental Health Counselor, Mental Health Counselor Law, Psychology, Resident|

Legally Speaking: Psychologists, Mental Health Counselors, Social Workers and Therapists

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

Supervised by the Board of Psychology and the Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling, psychologists, Licensed Mental Health Counselors, Clinical Social Workers and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists are responsible for an important component of patient care: mental health.

Insuring the mental health of a patient does not come without risks. For this reason, every mental health professional should carry professional liability insurance that includes professional license defense coverage (sometimes called disciplinary defense, license defense, administrative hearing coverage or broad coverage). Most often this […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:49-04:00May 15, 2018|Clinical Social Worker, Intern, Marital and Family Therapist, Mental Health Counselor, Psychology, Resident|

Mental Health Professionals Need to Know How To Handle Difficult Patients – Part 1

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

Psychologists, mental health counselors, social workers, and other psychotherapists, because of the nature of their professions, will often encounter difficult, abusive, or obsessive clients/patients. It comes with the territory. The clients or patients to whom they are expected to provide treatment and therapy to, often suffer from mental disorders, personality disorders, or illnesses.

Although it is traditional for many mental health professionals to refer to “clients” instead of “patients,” we will use the term “client/patient” in this blog.

First, Protect Your Own Privacy.

You should safeguard your own privacy and the […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:09-04:00May 15, 2018|Clinical Social Worker, Marital and Family Therapist, Mental Health Centers, Mental Health Counselor, Mental Health Counselor Law, Occupational Therapist, Psychology, Resident|

Mental Health Counselors, Psychologists, Social Workers and Family Therapists Should Be Sure They Carry Insurance to Cover Complaints Against Their Licenses

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

From our experience mental health counselors, psychologists, social workers and family therapists are at a high risk of having a client or patient file a complaint against them with their licensing board.

Many of their clients/patients have mental health problems, emotional problems or personality disorders; this is why they are seeing a therapist to begin with. If there is a disagreement between the therapist and the client/patient over treatment, diagnosis or other issues, this can easily result in that person filing a complaint.

We have also seen complaints filed when a therapist is retained to […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:08-04:00May 15, 2018|Clinical Social Worker, Marital and Family Therapist, Mental Health Counselor, Mental Health Counselor Law, Occupational Therapist, Psychology, Resident|