2011 SEBAC Agreement revised: CVS Caremark privacy violations and more bad news

 

 

 

http://alarmedaboutcvscaremark.org/index.php?id=52

Why We’re Alarmed About CVS Caremark

• Drug Favoring and Drug Switching
• A Poor Record on Privacy Violations
• Selling Private Personal Data
• Using Patient Data to Market for Drug Companies
• Information Hungry
• Failing to Protect Patient Privacy in the Retail Setting
• Lack of Transparency

Payback is a *****!

YES! I finally received my insurance reimbursement check from the Insurance Company…ALL OF IT!

 

The approximately $800 I received back was much more an emotional and psychological victory than a cash reward (plus I paid that money out to a very unethical therapist 5 years ago!)

 

If you haven’t read my other blog entries and know the history… I’ll give a quick synopsis of the story.

Back several years ago I had gone to a therapist during a divorce and while supporting very ill family member, now deceased.

The therapist committed insurance fraud 2 ways….the first was in 2006 (for sessions in 2005) by telling me my insurance company denied his claims and that I owed him for the sessions. This turned out to be a blatant lie as I later found out. He had never filed the claims. This is a form of health insurance fraud performed by billing a client more than the amount of a copay for services that are fully covered under a managed care plan.

The second way was by triple billing my insurance for 10 sessions in January 2007 when we only had three, and double billing my ex-husbands insurance during the same time period. ( He had to pay back the insurance company for those and withdraw as a provider)

 

The check I received was reimbursement for the first fraud  If I paid myself for the number of hours I spent reporting the fraud to the insurance company, filing a licensing board complaint and then dealing with getting money back from the insurance company ( the therapist had to submit billing at the insurance company’s request for those sessions in 2005)…..I probably made about minimum wage but getting that check back was an emotionally and psychologically priceless!

69.1% of Mental Health Providers agree they need psychotherapy themselves

I  think all mental health providers should be mandated to undergo their own contuining psychotherapy, or participate in a peer consultation group as a licensing requirement, much the same as most are required to complete ceu’s. A certain nunmber of hours would have to be logged each year and signed off when the mental health provider renews their State License.

There are just too many Mental Health providers that are currently in practice that have never received a single hour of therapy themselves, and are capable of doing a great deal of harm due to their counter tranference issues. While a mental health provider continuously attending therapy sessions or participating in an ongoing peer consultation group ( as  did my last  therapist ), is not a guarantee of ethical and competant practice , it would create at least a small factor of assurance for clients that a mental health provider continues to work on their  “own stuff”. There are very few Therapists out there chose to become a Mental Health Provider without having a considerable number of significant life issues to work through themselves.

It seems many mental healh providers agree ,at least on the pre licensure end,   according to a poll taken by goodtherapy .org that asked  “Are you in favor of state licensing boards requiring pre-licensed interns to undergo psychotherapy as part of licensure requirements, assuming all potential issues are addressed and adequately resolved prior to implementing such a requirement?”

Here’s a link to the results: http://www.goodtherapy.org/201103-poll-results.html#

I’d like to see a poll of how those currently in practice who responded to the poll feel about receiving mandated therapy or peer consultation themselves !  Consumers interested in persuing this line of regulation can contact their State Representative and ask them to work on making positive change for the mental health consumer by revising the requirements for Mental Healh Provider regulation to include mandated continuing psychotherapy or peer consultation hours.

“yoga kitty”

A bit of therapeutic humor! (esp.for cat lovers!)

http://www.yogakitty.com/yogavideos.html

Finding a sane therapist and those to run from!

Every now and then I run across an article about choosing a therapist that I think is worth posting here in my blog as generally a person looking to enter the therapeutic process is not in the clearest state of mind, and may not be capable of making the best decision for themself. So by posting these links/articles I hope to reach those who may be ready to “take a leap of faith in the unknown” of psychotherapy, and provide them with recommendations by others who have been there!

The article is titled Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Selecting a Therapist and it was written by  Mark Sichel, LCSW

http://www.locateadoc.com/articles/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-selecting-a-therapist-299.html

Repeat after me….work shall not interfere with my free time !!!

So it’s one of those “work assignments” that brings me back to my high school days in terms of avoidance and procrastination! Yes… the “assignment” “es muy importante” and can lead to an increase in salary.My inner perfectionist is putting it off until tomorrow when I will “get it right”, my inner jock has developed a sudden absolute obsession with watching serial games of the NCAA Basketball tournament and my inner health freak has had to get to the gym, My inner child wants to watch the spring flowers emerging from the earth, and my inner chef wants to create the most delicious, long, and complex recipe for dinner which involves a trip to at least two stores for ingredients. My inner housekeeper is also feeling quite fond of getting the laundry done, and well….my blogger is blogging!

….ANYTHING other than that damn work assignment!!!
My inner rebel is screaming in shocking decibels that WORK SHALL NOT INTERFERE WITH MY FREE TIME….and I’m siding with her!

Wish me luck…..were going to have a party and watch the tournament! Monday is another day!

Your therapist may be crazier than you!

from APnews/CBS…your therapist may be crazier than you!
Walk away from bad therapy….if you can!

Fort Riley Therapist Rachelle Santiago Charged with Stalking, Sexually Harassing Soldier
(CBS/AP) Rachelle Santiago, a therapist who was treating a Fort Riley soldier for post-traumatic stress, is accused of stalking the patient in a case that culminated in a high-speed chase after she breached the gates of the Northeast Kansas military installation.

She was charged Monday in a federal criminal complaint with stalking and attempting to elude a pursuing …

more @ http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20030245-504083.html

Psychotherapist who thinks he’s a wireless device

I had never even heard of Derek O’Neill when a friend mentioned she was going to his NYC workshop, then I received an email notifying me of it. So I thought maybe I should check out this self proclaimed “healer, spiritual teacher”, “accomplished motivational analyst, renowned psychotherapist, and inspired public speaker” (ok…ever heard of a motivational analyst?!)
So I opened the email and read the advert for his upcoming workshop “More truth will set you free”. Let’s see…more or less another “snake oil salesman “claiming to set people free from “the chains that bind them” yadda, yadda…there are as many of these guys as burgers at MacDonalds…and this stuff is fast food…but this guy says ” His message is in alignment with all the tried and tested philosophies throughout history”……..so he’s a copy cat who is just out to make a buck off vulnerable people looking for miracle???

Ok….how much is he charging for his remarkable-ness???
Here we go…from the email…
“Exchange: For live attendance, $100 until February 20 (11:59pm tonight). After February 20, exchange is $120. For non-SQ members, your live workshop registration includes a trial membership in SQ Wellness ($45 value).”

“For remote attendance, exchange is $30 for SQ members. For non-SQ members, exchange is $75 which includes a trial membership in SQ Wellness ($45 value), OR $50 without a trial membership”

Remote Attendance????????? He must mean TV? No.
Conference call? No. Must be internet/skype…No… not that either!
Here is how Derek O’Neill presents his workshop remotely:
from the email and his website…
“Attending Derek’s More Truth Will Set You Free workshops remotely is a powerful experience. Much energy and<<< benefit>>> will come to you wherever you are. When attending remotely, you can either sit quietly or in meditation at the time of the workshop and tune into the energy of the class, or you can go about your day as usual. Either way, the energy will travel directly from the workshop to you. PAY ATTENTION TO THIS: “Derek’s workshops are not broadcast on-line or otherwise videotaped”. No need to sign on through your computer or be on the phone. Just relax and enjoy the experience”.
I won’t go into telepathy or psychic transmission theories…what I’m actually amazed at is that he sets a fee for this invisible non-evidence based practice and expects to be paid for it!
He apparently believes he is a wireless device and that people should pay him for his transmission over the airwaves…can I be arrested for theft if I “tune in” without paying the workshop fee?

It gets better…go back up and read where I wrote PAY ATTENTION TO THIS again….it says “Derek’s workshops are not broadcast on-line or otherwise videotaped”. No need to sign on through your computer or be on the phone. Just relax and enjoy the experience”
….and below you see the following:
“Please note, your attendance to this workshop is subject to the following terms and conditions:
“You understand that the workshop may be <<<videotaped>>> and/or audio taped for distribution, marketing and sale. You hereby waive and assign to Born Free Now, LP, Derek O’Neill, and any other companies or individuals necessary to reproduce and market this workshop, all intellectual property rights that you may have in your image, name, voice, actions and/or words recorded in this workshop.” Nothing like a hypocritical healer!

“You agree that no one has promised or guaranteed to you any benefit<<<geez…above it says I will benefit ….even long distance!>>> from this workshop and you are attending this workshop of your own free will. You waive any and all rights for damages (physical, financial or emotional) you may claim as a result of attending this workshop. You release Derek O’Neill, Born Free Now LP and any staff or volunteers assisting the workshop from any causes of action, litigation, arbitration or claims you might have from attending this workshop. You understand that attending this workshop may substantially change your life and consciousness and you freely accept and embrace that change, regardless of any effects that such a life changing experience may create”.

“You agree that any minors attending this workshop with you under your care, custody and control will be bound by the terms herein”.

WTF???!!!!
Please all— STAY AWAY FROM BAD THERAPISTS!!!!!!!…especially those claiming to have a “cure-all”!
If they can’t be honest and straight forward in an email, I can imagine the manipulation in the “workshop”! Everyone has the right to earn a living, but offering a healing workshop “over the airwaves” and charging $50 bucks for it  perhaps to some family with a terminally ill loved one laying in bed at home hoping for a miracle…is just plain scummy!

The only guarantee in remotely attending Derek O’Neill’s  “truth” workshop is that you will be “set free” of $50!

 here’s a link if you ‘d like to check it out yourself:

http://www.sq-wellness.com/workshops/derek-oneill-nyc-2011/

hmmm…do you think my boss will believe me if I tell him that I’m staying home tomorrow and  he will benefit from my services anyway because he’s paying me?

…and another thought for all therapists con!sidering doing e-therapy/web based therapy sessions….this guy is way ahead of you! Better find out his “secret”

Here’s a link to a testimonial froma not so happy former practitioner of his “Rising Star” Healing (cult)

 http://chiflow.tribe.net/thread/68ed92d0-1d65-47e4-9297-d8539f939d4c

Will we see SustiNet in Ct. sooner than later? State employees take notice of this!

Will we see SustiNet in Ct. sooner than later? State employees take notice of this!
Is this the reason Governor Malloy is asking Unions to open the 2017 agreement now? Is this what he is referring to in his recent budget address of moving State Employees to a plan similar to that that covers Federal employees?

Click the links for info on Sustinet

http://www.ct.gov/sustinet/lib/sustinet/sn.final_report.appendix.cga.010711.pdf

http://www.cga.ct.gov/2011/PHdata/Tmy/2011HB-06305-R000214-Office%20of%20Policy%20and%20Management-TMY.PDF

http://www.cga.ct.gov/2011/TOB/H/2011HB-06305-R00-HB.htm

http://www.cga.ct.gov/2009/FN/2009HB-06600-R000615-FN.htmState

Employee & Retiree Health Plan

This bill may require conversion of the state health plans to self-funded SustiNet Plan coverage beginning on or after July 1, 2011. For this change to occur, consent would be required from the State Employees’ Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) to amend a collectively bargained agreement in effect until 2017. As a self-insured health care delivery plan, the SustiNet Plan would pay directly for participant claims on an incurred-and-reported basis. When the state health plans move from fully-insured plans to a self-insured mechanism, the premiums paid to private contracted health insurers cease and claims begin to be paid directly from a self-insured pool. In the event that SEBAC decides not to offer only one plan through SustiNet, there is no requirement that the remaining state employee health care coverage be moved to a self-insured plan. Therefore, the savings accrued from a delay in claims payments would be diminished.

necessary loss of a therapist

 

On this day three years ago my former therapist found out that I reported him for insurance fraud …Wow was that an uncomfortable discussion, starting at 430pm in the evening and lasting  5 hours into the night!

  Leonard R. morphed into a  worm….visibly wriggling and contorting himself to convince me I was the “bad guy” who needed forgiveness for my “grievous error”  in reporting him to the insurance company for insurance fraud! 

That he attempted to make this “grist for the mill” in a therapeutic sense boggled my brain! I was no longer a client of his in the first place….second, he did something illegal, not just unethical! Yet he went forth that night proclaiming that he was the person wronged….that I should have told him the detailed consequences of what would happen if he did not pay back the insurance company and have my sessions reinstated….( he had failed to fulfill his end of a deal we had made after I caught the insurance fraud in February 2007 that he would not place claims with the insurance company for the next 7 sessions until we caught up  with the number of sessions he had already billed for….sounded like a easy, clear deal to me! The dumbass went ahead and put the claims in anyway) He had had almost a year, 8 months in which he was no longer considered to be “my therapist” to do this,

After considering my options for a several months, and realizing that Leonard R was a “man of many words”…..but not a “man of his word” I turned the issue over to the insurance company….and later to the State of Connecticut Department of Public health. (there is no Licensing Board in Ct.)

 

 I most had to answer to myself as to why I even agreed to have this discussion with him! Why had  I placed myself in this sort of situation?

 It wouldn’t even be a brief consideration today!   I wouldn’t make it through the first session with a therapist like Leonard R…perhaps not even the first phone call…the red flags were flying then and there!