are. Other challenges are fidelity; which entails loyalty to the profession’s basic ethical principles (the patient in need,) confidentiality; a supreme ethical principle which may be compromised for variations in policies, supervisions, billing or collection reasons, managed care now has the right to invade a patient’ file--failing to protect the patient, and informed consent; which denies individual freedom of choice forced upon the individual with limitations in policy coverage. Two other challenges are honesty; which within the system may produce exaggerated or false claims to ensure payment, also allowing dishonest physicians to make arrangements with the managed care providers, and finally, vulnerability; which creates the potential for lowering various quality of care standards that managed care claims to protect (Sabin, 1996).Managed care goes against the Hippocratic oath, which in essence states physicians will do what is a benefit for the patients abstaining from whatever is deleterious or mischievous. The duty of the therapist is to inform and advise, maintain confidentiality, and reinforce a patient’s sense of responsibility releasing them with the confidence that they are healed. The assessment of human and emotional costs can not be compared with other medical conditions. However, advocates for managed care argue that there have been improvements in the managed care organizations such as recognizing professional counselors as viable mental health care providers. What were they recognized as before? Some counselors also state that working with managed care has helped make their practice more time and cost effective. Who is the winner here? The therapist or the patient? Where the patient is concerned, the amount of paperwork a therapist completes should be the last consideration. Time management is important, but has little effect on the patient’s outcome and mental stability.Even in our ...
