Each student will select one question to answer. You must include the page number in the book which assisted you with your answer. Each student will comment on two of their peers responses. No two students may answer the same question.
1. Discuss how managed care organizations limit therapeutic services for clients.
2. Discuss the types of ethical dilemmas that are created by managed care organizations.
3. Define what client dumping is, how it occurs, and why it occurs.
4. Discuss the ethical implications of client dumping.
5. As a macro practitioner, to whom do your loyalties belong? (the agency, the community in general, the human service agencies within the community, the community’s population, your friends)
6. List and discuss the options that therapists choose when insurance coverage ends.
7. Discuss Caputo’s (1991), ethical framework for electronic communications.
8. Many funding sources now require that agencies provide outcome data in order to continue receiving funding. Discuss some of the ethical issues that might come up in an agency that is required to prove the effectiveness of its various programs.
9. Discuss the policy implications of managed care, how it effects practice, and relate it back to chapter 11 where it is discussed that misdiagnosis is often intentional on the part of the practitioner.
10. Discuss what students feel a therapist should do if a client who needs continued treatment has reached the maximum on his annual or lifetime benefits but is unable to pay for services.
11. Research knowledge, clinical expertise, and client values are all integrated in evidence-based practice. Discuss the five steps a practitioner needs to perform in evidence-based practice.
12. Discuss what you believe is the ethical thing to do when a client can no longer pay the therapist’s fee.
3. Define what client dumping is, how it occurs, and why it occurs.
ReplyDelete- “Dumping the client” is one way that some practitioners have responded to clients who can no longer pay for services. There are various ways to dump a client. A worker may tell a client that his problem has been solved successfully (when it has yet to be solved) or that no more can be done for him ( when, in fact, the worker could still be helpful). The worker may cancel appointments so frequently that the client loses interest, or the worker may refer a client who no longer can afford his services to a public or private not-for-profit agency. No matter what technique is used, the worker’s objective is to get rid of the client who can no longer pay.
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 210 Belmont: Cengage Learning.
2. Discuss the types of ethical dilemmas that are created by managed care organizations.
ReplyDeleteDifficult issues arise when the cost containment goals of managed care place limits on the length of treatment, deny care, or insist on certain treatments. When a client's situation is not improved or the problem is unresolved, managed care may deny further reimbursed treatment. Nonetheless, the client may require a continuation of services. This This problem becomes accentuated for a practitioner when two similarly situated clients both need professional social work service but have different benefit packages. On what basis does this social worker decide how to distribute services when both have equal needs? Should the client with the more generous benefit package receive more service? This is an example of how ethical dilemmas arise from managed care organizations.
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 201 Belmont: Cengage Learning.
4. Discuss the ethical implications of client dumping.
ReplyDeleteTHe ethical social worker can do:
1) Advocate for more benefits
2) Have the patient pay out of their own pocket
3) Reduce the fee for a patient who continues on a self-paying basis.
4) Treat the person on a pro bono basis
5) Make a proper referral to an available option a agency for continued treatment
6) Terminate treatment
7) Alter the diagnosis so treatment would be covered.
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 115. Belmont: Cengage Learning.
12. Discuss what you believe is the ethical thing to do when a client can no longer pay the therapist’s fee.
ReplyDeleteIt is important to understand that social work is the profession of helping individuals in which they come first in all decisions that are made. According to the Code of Ethics it states that “Social Workers primary responsibility is to promote the well being of clients”. It also states that “Social Workers should promote the general welfare of society, from local to global levels”. It goes on to say that social workers should engage in social and political action that seeks to ensure that all people have access to the resources, employment, services, and opportunities they require to meet their basic human needs and to develop fully. In stating that if a client was not able to pay the therapist fees, I would refer a client to another therapist where he would be able to receive the services he needed. I would not give up in helping the client to receive services that are geared to his needs.
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 214 Belmont: Cengage Learning.
1. Discuss how managed care organizations limit therapeutic services for clients.
ReplyDeleteManaged care organizationos limit therapeutic services for clients because practitioners must accomdate their treatment choices to those of made by the managed care organization. To not do so risks a decrease in referrals, which can mean a potential loss of status and income. Brief therapy appears to be preferred mode of intervention and long-term therapy may only be available to those who can pay privately for treatment. Practitioners in private practice may be tempted to agree to emphasize group treatment because this can result in greater income--even when professional judgement counterindicates this mode of treatment.
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 200 Belmont: Cengage Learning.
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 204 Belmont: Cengage Learning.
ReplyDelete7. Discuss Caputo’s (1991), ethical framework for electronic communications.
Caputos framework provides a way to inform clients about the existence of a computerized client information system. it enables clients to give informed consent, and offers an opportunoty for individuals to inspect information. it also develops an information needs matrix to guide unit allocation. Overall it holds professionals to professional practice that is mindful of ethical standards, including respect for clients' autonnomy.
11. Research knowledge, clinical expertise, and client values are all integrated in evidence-based practice. Discuss the five steps a practitioner needs to perform in evidence-based practice.
ReplyDelete1. Convert information needs related to practice decisions into answerable questions
2. Track down the best evidence with which to answer them
3. Critically appraise the evidence in terms of its validity, clinical significance, and usefulness.
4. Integrate this critical appraisal of research evidence with one’s clinical expertise and the patient’s values and circumstances.
5. Evaluate one’s effectiveness and efficiency in undertaking the four previous steps, and strive for self-improvement.
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 207. Belmont: Cengage Learning.
3. Define what client dumping is, how it occurs, and why it occurs.
ReplyDeleteClient dumping is a term that refers to the way practitioners treat clients who cannot continue to pay for services. One way a practitioner or worker may dump a client is to tell them that their problems have been solved, but in actuality they have not. They may also tell the client that there is nothing else they can help the client with, when the truth is they can actually still be of assistance. The book gives examples of other ways but the end result is to get rid of clients that cannot longer afford the cost of treatment.
Chapter 12
ReplyDelete4. Discuss the ethical implications of client dumping.
The ethical implications of client dumping, just basically states that its wrong, because this may affect some of the life decisions they choose to make. It’s not like this is just a regular job like,being a dentist for example you can always find another one. But with being a therapist and actually having a client is completely different. Because these clients have self disclosed and they trust you, and they come to you weekly or whenever scheduled. So just telling your client one day they won’t be able to contact you at all because you are going on vacation or whatever the issue may be isn’t ethical. Since you have built rapport with these clients and they trust you, it wouldn’t be ethical to dump them if they are still coming to see you for whatever reasons.
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. Belmont: Cengage Learning.
5. As a macro practitioner, to whom do your loyalties belong? (the agency, the community in general, the human service agencies within the community, the community’s population, your friends)
ReplyDelete5. As a macro practitioner, the loyalties belongs to the agency, community in general, the human service agencies within the community, the community’s population, but not my friends. More than likely friends are not specified as an organization. It more classified as a group. Macro level are global, organization, basically larger than groups and family. Macro deals with an amount of responsibility than mezzo or micro practitioner. (p.212)
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. Belmont: Cengage Learning
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. Belmont: Cengage Learning. Pg. 197-198
ReplyDelete6.List and discuss the options that therapists choose when insurance coverage ends
A practitioner can state at the beginning of treatment that the family agency policy limits the number of sessions. Many social workers have been pressured by managed care organizations to provide group therapy for their clients in place of individual treatment because group services are time and cost efficient. Another option is to become private pay.
My citation: Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 115. Belmont: Cengage Learning.
ReplyDeleteDolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 210 Belmont: Cengage Learning.
ReplyDelete