Wiki Privacy/Ethical Violation or not?? PLEASE HELP!

[mstroy]

A Client met all the criteria and requirements for receiving services through our program. The Client is a current Chemical Dependancy program Client; thus, eligible for Recovery Support services. The Client is a spouse of a current employee and our Director "denied" services to the Client based on the marital relationship to current employee?? There are no current Policy and Procedures in place indicating basis and/or just cause for "denying" services to employee or employee's family. There are other current/past instances of services being provided to employees and employee familes.
The involved treating providers approached the employee (based on supervisor status, and in accordance with chain of command) to address this issue. The employee/supervisor discussed the issue with the Director and the Director wrote the providers up for Privacy and Ethical violations?? All of the proper and appropriate processes were followed and documentation in place supporting Client eligibility for services provided by [said] providers.
The Client's treatment was discussed inappropriately and out of context with "personal" opinions and judgements being verbalized and labeled by the Director.

PLEASE HELP!! I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE TO BEGIN WITH THIS ISSUE??

 

[Pam Warren]

First of all...where do you fit into this picture? And why are you being asked to be involved in a clinical situation? If I were you, I'd step away from this. A clinical treatment relationship provided for chemical dependency and mental health cannot include co-workers, even if the co-worker is a family member of the client. It's unethical to do so. There may not be any 'policies' per se in your organization, but you can be absolutely certain that any therapist worth their degree will follow a code of ethics per their licensing board. And that code restricts treating or having a clinical relationship with anyone (or the family of anyone) with whom they work. That's why the director was furious. And how do you know that other family members of other employees are clients? How did this confidential information become your knowledge? It just seems like there's too many people knowing stuff that they don't need to know.

It is extremely inappropriate to discuss therapeutic issues with family members at their place of work. The people who got 'written up' deserved it. They discussed the clinical aspects of a client's treatment with an employee---and it sounds like it happened at work, and not at a therapeutic meeting with the appropriate informed consent. Good grief, if this were me, I'd have filed suit.

If anyone involved in this dysfunctional mess is a certified coder--they've violated our code of ethics, which specifically states we will not exploit professional relationships for personal gain. We cannot demand our employers to treat our families if they are unwilling or unable to do so.

My advice....don't get involved. It's none of your business what employee's spouses get or don't get for treatment.