Dear fellow psychologists,
I hope you all are enjoying the unseasonably mild temperatures right now. I'm writing to give everyone some updates about what MOPA has been doing for you.
- We are arranging a meeting with MO Health Net to discuss 1) including Health and Behavior Codes as CPT codes that psychologists can request reimbursement for, and 2) eliminating the cap on the number of billable hours per month allowed for psychologists under Medicaid.
- HB 1082 (Wells) that would grant LPC's to ability to diagnose psychological disorders still has not been assigned to committee since it was second read on January 5th. One justification LPCs give (and legislators value) is the alleged lack of psychologists in rural areas of Missouri, with this bill granting constituents easier access to services. Of course our rebuttal is that this would mean lower quality of care and potential harm to those same constituents, but we also provided the bills' sponsor (Rep. Wells) a list of Psychologists who work in his district if one should be needed.
- We continue to monitor HB 1032 (Allen) which grants LPCs the authority to conduct a full investigation into whether an individual is suitable as an adoptive parent. Surprisingly, psychologists are not listed on the bill as a discipline that can also conduct these evaluations. We are working to at the very least add psychologists to those qualified to conduct these evaluations and possibly prevent the bill form passing altogether. We have received feedback from psychologists who conduct these evaluations and they are complex, require specific training and experience (which we belief LPCs lack) and have significant implications on people's lives.
- Looming over the legislature this year is the budget and Missouri's anticipated $600 million shortfall.
- We are gearing up for our convention in St. Louis at the Regional Arts Center located in the Delmar Loop on March 23-24. It will be an exciting event filled with great speakers and lots of other events. Hope to see everyone there. More details can be found by clicking here.
- SAVE THE DATE! Our Legislative Day in Jefferson City is scheduled for Wednesday April 4th. More details will be forthcoming as we near the event, but this is our chance to make the voice of psychology in Missouri heard by our lawmakers. Please join us to meet with state senators and representatives and make a direct impact on the psychology landscape in our state.
Richard P. Martielli, Ph.D., ABPP
MOPA President
Website: MOPAPresident.blogspot.com
Twitter: @DrRichMartielli
Facebook Page: Missouri Early Carerr Psychologists
