Articles from the 2022 Spring Issue of The National Psychologist

No Surprises Act clarifies patient rights

By Julie P. Jacobs, Psy.D., J.D.

The No Surprises Act (NSA), effective Jan. 1, 2022, was designed to protect patients from unexpected medical bills from out-of-network providers. Often, patients are not aware they are receiving out-of-network care, and prior to the NSA, they had little resource

to address these unexpected bills. Although most aspects of the NSA do not apply to psychologists, many might be caught off guard by the several sections that clearly do. Refer to The Trust’s Preliminary Guidance on the No Surprises Act for detailed information about the NSA and associated risk management considerations.

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Pharmacists can be valuable asset to treating depression

By Megan J. Ehret, PharmD, MS, BCPP

In the United States, the prevalence of depression symptoms has increased more than three-fold during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the number of patients with depression and other mental illnesses continues to grow, the U.S. is facing a shortage of psychiatric care providers, creating additional challenges, including reduced quality of care, low patient satisfaction, poor patient outcomes and a reduction in the workforce.

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The Business Side of Practice

Gretchen Kubacky, Psy.D.

Money, Money, Money

$ $ $ $

Too often, practicing psychologists treat money as an afterthought or a nuisance, as long as the rent gets paid. But profitability (revenue minus expenses) is critical to our ability to continue providing services. We are often tasked with running a business and managing our own financial histories and feelings, while tending to our clients’ fiscally-related anxiety, relational conflict, shame, avoidance, depression and self-sabotaging behaviors.

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Laws, Risk Management, Ethics Important for Psychologists

By Samuel Knapp, Ed.D.,

Michael Gottlieb, Ph.D., and

Mitchell Handelsman, Ph.D.

It is important for psychologists to know and follow the laws that govern their profession. The best psychologists appreciate the importance of ethically informed risk management strategies and the role that virtues and ethical principles play in their practices. In addition to adhering to the laws that govern their profession, best practices for psychologists include using good risk management strategies and relying on a sound ethical framework to guide decision-making.

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Psychologists key to families, schools navigating pandemic

By Mary Eno, Ph.D.

Five-year-old Nia refuses to join her classmates for circle time. “There are too many germs there”, she says. Terence, a sophomore in high school, is sent to the dean of students’ office for cursing at his teacher, who insisted he wears his mask properly. Joel has simply refused to attend in-person middle school classes, suffering from social anxiety that intensified during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Early career psychologists'

Digital presence key to growing young practice

By Kevin Hyde, Psy.D.

Newly licensed psychologists planning to hang their shingle and start a private practice often find themselves asking, “How do I get clients in the door?” or, in the COVID age, “How do I get clients on the phone or screen?”

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Alzheimer’s Association charges CMS with discrimination for not paying for Alzheimer drug

By Paula Hartman-Stein, Ph.D.

In January, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its draft decision to reimburse consumers for an Alzheimer’s disease drug, marketed as Aduhelm (aducanumab), but only to patients enrolled in research studies, setting off a firestorm of complaints, allegations and applause.

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Proper mindset creates success

Bruce Wilson, Ph.D.

The Set Mind

When we suggest the idea of a set mind, what does that mean? It means someone who prefers to accept the status quo. There is a complacency with one’s beliefs, attitudes, thoughts and actions. What are the potential pitfalls of a set mind? How can complacency lead to a self-limiting lifestyle?

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Telehealth training for mental health providers essential

By Jonathan G. Perle, Ph.D., ABPP

Telehealth has changed the landscape of mental health care, providing a reliable means of supplementing traditional face-to-face approaches.

Broadly defined, “telehealth” is an umbrella term encompassing numerous modalities (including videoconferencing, telephone, messaging programs, and email) and functions (including clinical care and training), involving the integration of technology with healthcare services.

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Venture Capitalists at odds

By Michael G. Conner, Psy.D. and Michaele P. Dunlap, Psy.D.

Over the past 20+ years, most health plans failed to provide cost-of-living or cost-of-practice increases in psychotherapists’ compensation. A modest 1.5% increase per year would have yielded a 35% increase in psychotherapists’ incomes.

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Here are a few free articles from our Spring 2022 issue of The National Psychologist. If you would like to enjoy the entire issue of The National Psychologist, just click here and subscribe. It is only due to our subscribers that we can continue to provide these free articles.