Posted on 11/11/2006 4:40:03 AM PST by shrinkermd
The state's largest health insurer wants mental health patients to begin routinely filling out forms that include detailed questions about their sleep patterns, sex lives, and suicidal thoughts.
The questionnaire, designed to gauge a patient's state of mind, is part of an effort by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts to measure the quality of mental health treatment its members receive. About 100,000 Blue Cross subscribers will receive the form, which was described in a mailing last week to psychiatrists and other mental health counselors.
Until now, psychiatrists and therapists have been required to file reports on patients' progress with Blue Cross. Starting next year, patients will be asked to make self-assessments by answering 58 questions, on paper or through a secure website. They will receive questionnaires after every eight counseling sessions, or more often if the insurer decides it's warranted...
...Participation is voluntary, but if large numbers of a doctor's or therapist's patients don't return the assessments, the practitioner could fail to qualify for annual increases in Blue Cross reimbursement...
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(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
On this latter score most will probably disagree but at least 30% of all costs are paid by the federal government--Medicaid, Medicare, Veterans Care, Native American care and so forth. About 60% of us receive health care at work of which, on the average, single people pay 17% and families pay 27% of the costs. The remainder pay the full freight or are uninsured.
The upshot of this is pricing and consumer decisions based on spending their own money is deferred and costs and demand explode.
To remedy this we now have a Draconian proposal from BC/BS of Massachusetts to institute both financial and clinical controls--in their hands of course--allegedly to "improve" the delivery system.
I can see no easy, simple solution. "Free" health care is wildly popular in Canada, Europe and all the socialist economies in spite of long "wait times" and poor service.
Most insurance companies have "claims amnesty days". that's where all the claims the workers at the insurance company "didn't feel like processessing" when they came in ( and ended up dumped in drawers,etc.) are returned to the supervisor annonymously !
the longer they hold onto claims, dump them and give the provider the runaround...the longer the ins cos don't have to pay out!
This is only for those that see a shrink, right?
It seemed unclear to me whether it applies to just those seeking mental health services or everyone. Your guess is as good as mine.
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