Recently, the Association of Private Practice Therapists conducted a survey of its members to determine if there is a local standard for how after-hours emergency calls are handled.
The survey was commissioned by the APPT Board of Directors in response to an insurance/managed care company's request for a therapist's after-hours emergency policy.
The full results of the survey will be reported in the October 2008 issue of The Compass, the newsletter of the Association of Private Practice Therapists. Beyond the results, however, it appears as if therapists may be struggling with their ethical requirement to serve clients with the practical applications of after-hours service -- of particular issue with sole practitioners.
"We have maintained the cost of a 'company' cell phone and a live answering service for many years," one therapist writes. "We have begun to question the need and utility of this, and will likely drop this soon. At the end of the day, if someone has a crisis that is life-threatening, talking to us just delays going to the hospital."
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