Medicare Patient: Agency Will Not Allow Social Work Eval or Visit

[erroridiot]

I would like to have some feedback on this problem.

I work for more than one agency. One agency will now allow Social Work referrals for patients of a physician claiming to send their own social worker. When the physician office is requested to send this social worker (credentials unknown), the patients complain that they never heard from the social worker or if they did, received no assistance. I am talking about simple referrals for patient abuse and neglect, referrals to area agency on aging, meals on wheels, transportation, and financial concerns which are never addressed during the episode of care.

I am told by the DON that we must not send our social worker because the physician will not allow it and because it costs the agency $$.

What do you think about this?

[caliotter3]

I have worked for several agencies. One way or another I have seen many questionable practices. You need to weigh your investment in this job and what will make you quit your job. Most people I know do not have the interest or gumption to get on a bandwagon to bring about any kind of reform of their employer's grey area practices, myself included. I do my job to the best of my ability and get paid for it. That is it. If there was something clearly out of line and widespread, I would go to the authorities with the information. But I would do this from the safety of being employed at a new job. No employer is going to give good references about a person that turned them in for any kind of wrongdoing. Your employer may not be right or ethical but they do provide you with your bread and butter. If you can sleep at night about your own behavior, then you are doing well.