[Skully]

The other day I called my mental health agency because they had not sent the mental assessment form back to social security for my disability hearing. I ended up on the phone with the director who said "Our doctors don't fill out paperwork." When I inquired as to why, she said "because they have enough to do. If you want forms filled out go to a private psychiatrist."
I am so mad right now about what she said to me. Just because I cannot afford a private psychiatrist and have to use the county mental health agency then I am not allowed to have the same quality of care?????
Any ideas on where I can turn to to report her for that statement. I don't feel that should be legal to do to a patient!

Hello, Skully. How unfortunate the director needs to be reminded of who pays her salary.

This link has contact information for SSDI: http://www.ssa.gov/pgm/reach.htm You may already have a local number.

This link has numbers to call the Pennsylvania Benefits Hotline, Disability Services, Secretary of Public Welfare and the Governor: http://www.dpw.state.pa.us/helpfultelephonenumbers/index.htm

Here is a link with contact information for members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/

Here is a link that lists contact information for the Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation: http://www.dpw.state.pa.us/helpfulte...bers/index.htm

Here is a link for contacting local NAMIs in Pennsylvania: http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Sec...r.cfm&State=PA

I would also consider writing a letter to the editor expressing your outrage.

Good luck.

[Rohag]

Hi, Skully. That's truly outrageous. Listen to TheByzantine; attempt to channel your anger into action. There's a good chance you'll help not only yourself but others, too.

[ECHOES]

Skully, please call someone higher up in the agency.
I understand why doctor's dislike filling out forms, but it is part of their service. They can charge for filling out forms if they want to.
This doctor knows you and is the right person to fill the forms out because I imagine that the forms call for your history and his impressions/diagnosis.
The person you talked to was rude and unprofessional. Do you have an appointment soon with your doctor, where you could talk to him? Or can you call and talk to him and ask him what the procedure is for getting necessary forms filled out (and that the front office advised you to go somewhere else).

You don't have to accept this, you can find a way around it.

[lonegael]

Therer is, unfortunately, a type of bully who is drawn towards work in burocracies and public "service" because they figure they can get away with treting people any way they want as long as that person is dependant on public help. My experience is that that attitude is turned up three fold if they feel that someone has a mental disability or is undereducated. I see it happen here in Sweden also, and nothing makes me sicker than to see it suddenly switched off when the same people realize they are speaking to a licensed mental health professional who "happens" to suffer from a chronic psychiatric disorder. Or when they realize that the psychologist is married to a university lecturer. The treatment the average person with mental or chronic pain problems, for that matter, gets subjectedto by many in the burocracies is little short of sadistic and arrogant. You have my sympathies and I hope you follow Rohag's and Byz's advice. HUGGGGGGSSSSSS!

[Perna]

I don't know where you are in Pennsylvania; I'd see if one of these organizations could help you or recommend where you could go for an agency that does fill out paperwork:

http://www.mhasp.org/

http://www.mhanp.org/

I don't think anyone "has" to fill out paperwork, especially related to our future instead of our present. I would find an agency that will though and learn about the process before you engage them.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by Skully

The other day I called my mental health agency because they had not sent the mental assessment form back to social security for my disability hearing. I ended up on the phone with the director who said "Our doctors don't fill out paperwork." When I inquired as to why, she said "because they have enough to do. If you want forms filled out go to a private psychiatrist."
I am so mad right now about what she said to me. Just because I cannot afford a private psychiatrist and have to use the county mental health agency then I am not allowed to have the same quality of care?????
Any ideas on where I can turn to to report her for that statement. I don't feel that should be legal to do to a patient!

unfortunately its not against mental health ethics in the united states nor is it against the law in the united states for mental health agencies county or otherwise to have their own rules such as not filling in forms for social security disability hearings.

That does not mean all it lost though. you can get the forms filled out without having to go elsewhere and without having to spend a penny. instead of fighting a denied case just reapply for social security disability, simply by going to the social security office, obtaining another complete form for applying for it, then fill it in, go to your doctors, therapists and psychiatrists that you already see and sign a release of information form with them all.

social security will do the contacting them and obtaining the information they need and foot the bill for it too.

after social security has contacted them and obtained information of what your diagnosis and severity is then social security will send you a letter saying they would like you to see such and such professionals based on your claim of disability. example if you are applying because you have a hearing disability social security will send you to a speech and hearing specialist for an evaluation.

Social security also pays for any specialists that they send you to.

make sure you have listed every single little problem on the application, make sure that all your treatment people have your signed release of information form on file.

I disagree. Those treating the person have a special knowledge that cannot necessarily be gleaned from the medical records. As I understand it, this is a tax-payer funded agency. To refuse to help someone is an abomination.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by TheByzantine

I disagree. Those treating the person have a special knowledge that cannot necessarily be gleaned from the medical records. As I understand it, this is a tax-payer funded agency. To refuse to help someone is an abomination.

according to the post they are not refusing to treat her, help her with her mental health problems. the agency is refusing to do paper work.

a lot of agencies county and otherwise are cutting down/cutting out on paper work. it used to be that treatment providers could bill insurance companies and the clients if they had no insurance for the time they spend on sitting down dictating or hand writing up a persons file. but now insurance companies are not paying treatment providers for the time it takes to locate a clients file and hand write the information that is on the computers.

I dont know about elsewhere but here in the USA we have a big problem with identity theft, this is another reason why treatment providers are cutting out paper work. its to ensure there is no paper files in some trash somewhere that others can find and use for their own purposes.

Thats the way it is here and in my home state. we dont do paper work, we sit down at a computer, log in to the medical database, bring up the clients file then type in the basic information. once its on the computer any other treatment providers or government agency like social security can have access to it once the client signs a release of information form which we scan in to the computer.

Social security isnt looking for every single detail of every single therapy session, they want to know in as few words as possible what the clients diagnosis is, how severe and treatment options that are being used. In some cases they want to know what the persons IQ is, if the person is filing because of a learning disability.

We also supply our phone number and name of person supplying the information social security needed, that way social security can call us if they need more details. but I havent had that happen to me, usually when social security has more questions or needs more information that was supplied by treatment providers they send the applicant to a specialist for an evaluation.

[Skully]

Well, because that assessment was not sent my hearing has been postponed until it is done by one of their psychiatrist and the judge also wants me to have a medical assessment. I am so mad. I am about to lose my house because the landlord is going to sell it and i have to be out by the end of the year. I have no income and no way to pay rent anywhere else. I feel so hopeless right now.

Thanks for all the good advice. I will contact an advocate agency and report the incident to the state.

[Rhiannonsmoon]

Originally Posted by amandalouise

according to the post they are not refusing to treat her, help her with her mental health problems. the agency is refusing to do paper work.

Hello amandalouise,

Refusing to fill in a form is not helping her. It's no different to writing in her notes. What kind of lazy and greedy doctors/therapists are they if they refuse to do paperwork because they no longer get $80 to do it? Where does patient care stop and greed pick up?

In effect they are refusing to help her to get the support she needs and another major issue is that she was treated terribly rudely by the woman she spoke to. Just because the woman is in a position of some authority (unless she is a desk jockey with an attitude), doesn't mean she is entitled to treat mentally ill people any less than she would treat someone without mental illness.

Too many doctors and bureaucrats feel that they can treat mentally ill people with disdain and contempt because they think we're "not all there"; this is wrong on so many levels and needs to be stomped out.

I dont know about elsewhere but here in the USA we have a big problem with identity theft, this is another reason why treatment providers are cutting out paper work. its to ensure there is no paper files in some trash somewhere that others can find and use for their own purposes.

And I'm sorry amandalouise I have no intention of being rude, but this comment is probably one of the most singluarly ridiculous I have read. If what you write here is the case then there are no physical files left anywhere in the US for any patient; bearing in mind that computer hackers find it easier to hack a computer than decipher doctors and therapists handwriting.

It comes down to those in their ivory towers rejecting their arrogance and doing the right thing. I know that when I have my PhD I will not refuse to do paperwork just because I'm not paid to do it. If a client needs me to fill in a form for them, I can do it there and then and claim an exptended consultation if I go over the $180/15minute consult time.

Some doctors need to remember why they got into the job in the first place and that was to help the community, not just rake in the dollars. The reason they don't do the paperwork is because that time can be spent on another client raking in more money.

Having been in the position of being a patient, you can guarantee that I will respect my clients greatly and I will do what I know needs to be done in order to actually help them, not block their way to the services and support they need.

[amandalouise]

[QUOTE=Rhiannonsmoon;1579894]Hello amandalouise,

wont answer here because the orignaal poster is not asking people to debate the paper vs computers issue, will take it to a new thread.

[roxyanne1]

Psych Dr ...triggers...i dont believe it, went for usual visit handed in

dbt h'work....had my half hour on the dot visit.got down stairs and remembered something important id forgotten to tell dr who was now with new patient.Other patients time always seem to go longer than mine. i rang and girl said hed ring back after this patient...waited and waited and waited still some more.He still hasent rung.still hasent4hrs still hasent..mabey this is because im a patient person, This has made me want to SH now what i had to say seems like an anticlimax...but its important and im ANGRY.
Roxyanne.