ABSTRACT
Literature regarding ethical issues of actual “nuts-and-bolts” practice of couple and family therapy is sparse, giving few sources for couple and family therapists to gain clarity of this process. Managed health care and managed care organizations (MCOs) have drastically changed the landscape of clinical practice of couple and family therapy. e development of preferred provider organizations (PPOs), health maintenance organizations (HMOs), and exclusive provider organizations (EPOs) has made payment for health care a complicated maze to navigate. Getting paid for therapeutic services is no longer between the therapist and the client but is between the therapist, the third-party payer, and the client. For therapists, being part of a panel, or being a preferred provider, for an MCO typically means that they provide therapeutic services for clients who belong to that specic organization at a reduced rate. eoretically, a therapist would benet from being part of an MCO in that in exchange for seeing clients at a reduced rate, presumably client volume would increase. Becoming an ethical provider for an MCO will be discussed later in this chapter.
