THERAPISTS ARE GETTING A FRESH START
Medicaid Waiver is Little Known Opportunity for Mental Health Professionals
(PRWEB) September 6, 2003
Recent graduates in the mental health field making average therapists’ salaries are struggling for their financial independence. Low salaries are the norm at the agency level where the bulk of therapists are employed. Even seasoned therapists with expertise in niche markets are not experiencing the success they were one decade ago. Dr. Stuart Townsend of South Florida Medical Management (SFMM) reports, “There are simply more qualified service providers than ever competing for a diminishing number of mental healthcare positions.” Clinical social workers, licensed mental health therapists, psychologists, and psychiatric nurses can all provide therapy and often compete for the same administrative positions. Those who are succeeding in private practice are doing so in part because they have qualified to be on one or several insurance panels. Reimbursement through private insurance is rarely an option for recent graduates or licensees as insurance panels qualify therapists based on the duration experience since licensure. In addition, the price of graduate degrees has steadily increased while industry salaries continue to fall.
Allen Drozd, CEO of SFMM, states that a “hidden gem called Medicaid waiver exists for mental health professionals”. Medicaid waiver is a waiver for Medicaid to reimburse services that are not traditionally considered medical for select patient populations such as developmentally disabled or brain injured. Behavioral treatment and assessments via medwaiver are currently reimbursed at some of the highest rates in the industry. SFMM is offering a 2-day business start-up seminar. The purpose of the seminar is to provide mental health professionals everything they need to achieve Medicaid waiver certification. Becoming a medwaiver provider demands that an organization or individual complete a rather demanding credentialing and certification process. For many mental health professionals the process is unfamiliar and intimidating. South Florida Medical Management is a consulting firm that is offering 2-day weekend seminars designed to prepare mental health professionals with everything they need to obtain medwaiver certification. In addition, SFMM will actually file your application for you. For more information about training seminars visit the website http://traing. corfnet. net (http://traing. corfnet. net) or call 305-917-4543.
