know your rights regarding your pre-op psych eval
Every once in a while I hear a story of someone that went to their pre-op psych eval and the evaluator said they were not ready to have surgery and it really delayed their process. Now, some people probably really aren't ready to have surgery, so in those cases it's probably a good thing that things got delayed or they had to go to therapy for a while first. But in some cases, it seems like the evaluator makes errors that create unnecessary problems.
Here are a few things you should know.
1. Unless your surgeon requires you see a particular mental health care provider for the eval, you can see whomever you want. Your insurance might pay for the eval if you see someone in their network but you can see someone outside the network if you want to pay for it yourself. Even if there is a mental health care provider in your surgeon's practice that normally does his psych evals, your surgeon may agree to accept a psych eval from someone else if you ask.
2. You can request a copy of the report the evaluator will be sending to your surgeon. If you want, you can request a copy of that report BEFORE it gets sent to the surgeon.
3. You do not have to give the evaluator permission to send any information about you to your surgeon. They will probably ask you to sign a consent form at the beginning of your appointment. You are not required to consent, though. You can get a copy of the report yourself and then, if you want your surgeon to see it, give it to your surgeon yourself.
4. You do not have to give the evaluator permission to send any information about you to your insurance company. Your insurance probably will not pay for the eval if they do not receive information about it, though. But if you want to pay cash for it, you do not have to give permission for your insurance to receive any information. Pay attention to what you sign when you go to your appointment because usually you will be asked to sign something giving permission for them to send info to your insurance company.
5. If you see incorrect information in the written report, you have the right to notify the evaluator and ask them to correct it.
6. If you disagree with what the evaluator says, you have the right get get a second eval from someone else. Your surgeon may still give more weight to the first eval, that's up to him, but you have the right to get a second opinion.
Here are a few things you should know.
1. Unless your surgeon requires you see a particular mental health care provider for the eval, you can see whomever you want. Your insurance might pay for the eval if you see someone in their network but you can see someone outside the network if you want to pay for it yourself. Even if there is a mental health care provider in your surgeon's practice that normally does his psych evals, your surgeon may agree to accept a psych eval from someone else if you ask.
2. You can request a copy of the report the evaluator will be sending to your surgeon. If you want, you can request a copy of that report BEFORE it gets sent to the surgeon.
3. You do not have to give the evaluator permission to send any information about you to your surgeon. They will probably ask you to sign a consent form at the beginning of your appointment. You are not required to consent, though. You can get a copy of the report yourself and then, if you want your surgeon to see it, give it to your surgeon yourself.
4. You do not have to give the evaluator permission to send any information about you to your insurance company. Your insurance probably will not pay for the eval if they do not receive information about it, though. But if you want to pay cash for it, you do not have to give permission for your insurance to receive any information. Pay attention to what you sign when you go to your appointment because usually you will be asked to sign something giving permission for them to send info to your insurance company.
5. If you see incorrect information in the written report, you have the right to notify the evaluator and ask them to correct it.
6. If you disagree with what the evaluator says, you have the right get get a second eval from someone else. Your surgeon may still give more weight to the first eval, that's up to him, but you have the right to get a second opinion.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
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