Whether it’s an audit involving Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance offices or professional license defense, New York psychologists may find themselves facing a variety of legal issues. The New York lawyers at Norman Spencer & Associates can help.

Our healthcare attorneys have long been providing knowledgeable counsel to licensed mental health professionals who find themselves in need of legal assistance. Cases have ranged from insurance audits to criminal defense to licensing issues with the Office of Professional Discipline.

Becoming a licensed and practicing psychologist in New York takes special skills, knowledge and dedication. You not only have to undergo many years of advanced and involved training, but you must also harbor a patient and resilient personality. Psychologists need to be internally strong and stable while remaining compassionate and care.

With so much time, money and effort invested in training and development, it’s a tragic scenario when psychologists suddenly have their careers pulled out from under them. This can happen seemingly in an instant, with a single patient who unfairly concludes you did not live up to the extremely high expectations and standards of the profession. This becomes increasingly likely as more and more Americans are turning to psychologists for therapy and attaining balance in their lives.

Any patient can claim some type of violation at any time. When this happens, you could become the target of a compliant to the state board, or worse. Any complaints lodged against New York psychologists will eventually be reviewed by a board or individual within the state’s enforcement division. Your case will be subjected to an investigation, which involves complex procedures. At the very least, it typically involves document review and interviews with relevant parties.

If the board determines probable cause, your case then heads to a panel for disciplinary review. Your case can then go one of two ways. All parties can come to a resolution during a scheduled conference. Or your case can become contested and drag out for a year, or even more.

Extricating yourself, your reputation and what’s left of your practice from this mess requires experienced services of a New York psychologist defense lawyer. The legal team of Norman Spencer & Associates is at your service.

One of the most common problems in private practices is inadequate billing practices, which can result in severe consequences. A number of triggers can lead to insurance investigations and audits. These include:

• Missing recipient records or progress notes
• Missing individual treatment plan review documentation
• Lack of clinical service documentation
• Late, inadequate or missing individual treatment plans
• Lack of explanation of benefits (EOB) for third-party health insurance or Medicare recipients
• Improper Medicaid billing for third-party health insurance or Medicare Crossover recipients
• Improper billing of brief visits as regular or extended visits
  Billing for unauthorized services
• Billing for services provided by unauthorized, unlicensed, or unenrolled providers, such as interns or trainees

Disciplinary review or action is another legal hazard, and it can arise for many different reasons. It can also result in a sanction or revocation of your professional license. A knowledgeable legal team can help with issues that include:

• Patient-psychologist sexual contact or relations
• Violation of patient confidentiality rules
• Violations of boundary with regards to casual relationships, employing patients or loaning money
• Inappropriate sharing of the psychologists’ problems or treatments
• Managing a practice without a license, delivering unlicensed or untrained-for services
• False advertising
• Falsification of initial applications or psychology board renewals
• Drug or alcohol dependence or abuse
• Unethical, negligent and unprofessional acts or behaviors
• Criminal arrests or convictions

Complaints against psychologists can be filed by any person in the general public, and the most serious are immediately assigned to state board investigators. The best way to protect yourself and your practice is contacting an experienced lawyer as soon as you receive a consent order or are contacted by an investigator. You want a knowledgeable legal team on your side from the get-go, as even taking a meeting with an investigator can supply them with information they may later use against you.

There is no reason to go it alone, especially when you can have the support and guidance from the attorneys from Norman Spencer & Associates. If you find out you are being actively investigated, or that your license may be at risk, we’re available to help.

Our healthcare attorneys are well-versed, practiced and experienced with all types of defense of medical and professional licenses. We’re likewise available for assistance with professional and ethical issues and criminal misconduct defense cases. As a leading law firm for healthcare providers and practitioners, we encourage you to contact our lawyers today. Protect your license. Protect your practice. Protect yourself. Call an attorney at Norman Spencer & Associates at 212-577-6677.