Oxford Audits

Iwas delighted to read the letter written to the CEO of Oxford by our president, Marcia Goin, M.D., and medical director, James H. Scully Jr., M.D. The letter was timely and well researched and gave a strong message to our membership that APA is alive and well and serving its members in a responsible fashion.

I can only hope that if Oxford does not reply in a timely fashion, APA will push ahead with a more aggressive plan. Oxford committed a serious offense and, if unchallenged, could set a precedent for other companies to do the same and perhaps much worse. It is hard for our particular specialty to know when to stop trying to reason with the “other side” and instead pull out the club—which is the only tool some people and organizations understand.

Dr. Drake is president-elect of the Washington Psychiatric Society.

Editor’s Note: The efforts put forth by APA, the New York State Psychiatric Association, and others have been successful: Oxford Health Plans announced last month that it will stop auditing psychiatrists and mental health professionals for documentation of therapy sessions. See Original article: pages 1 and Original article: 3 for more details. ▪