- How do you view specialty/subspecialty psychology practice and board certification in professional psychology?
I feel strongly that specialty board certification is vital in psychology and I am heartened by the number of specialties recognized by Commission for the Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology (CRSPPP) and certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP), which is growing in the number of specialists in several areas, including clinical neuropsychology. As I stated previously, I am board certified in clinical health psychology, and I had the opportunity to participate in two of the four Summits on Specialization, the second summit as a representative from the APA Board of Directors, and the fourth and most recent one as a representative from the ABPP Foundation, in which I serve as a member at large. Two of the goals of the Summit were to determine next steps and the implementation plan to promote training regarding specialty, specialization and board certification; and determine next steps and the implementation plan to increase awareness and recognition of specialty training, specialization, and board certification by the public, institutions, and regulatory groups.
It is clear that specialty psychology practice will be part of professional psychology. If we are to be leaders in health care, we need to integrate specialization into our training programs. This will infuse a culture of expectation for board certification for students and early career psychologists. Our colleagues who have been practicing for a period of time should be made aware of the benefits of board certification at their career stage, such as easier portability between states as their career changes. In addition, they can serve as appropriate role models for our profession. Board Certification for me has been worthwhile and a benefit to my career, and I believe specialization will be the future of our profession.
- What role should specialties, like neuropsychology, play in the changing health care marketplace to remain relevant?
If we are to remain relevant and be strong leaders in this changing healthcare environment and marketplace, I believe it is imperative for us to have specialty training and board certification. Specialty training and board certification in neuropsychology is particularly important given the breadth and depth of additional knowledge required beyond traditional clinical, counseling, and school foundational training. Neuropsychology colleagues like Dr. Antonio Puente and Dr. Karen Postal and others have been especially strong and persistent advocates for neuropsychology practice through the CPT and RUC processes and through advocacy with insurance companies at the national and state levels to ensure psychologists and neuropsychologists are appropriately reimbursed for their services. APA has taken a collaborative and strong role in these processes as well, and I believe it will be important for APA to continue to work with neuropsychologists and psychologists in other specialty areas to remain competitive and be appropriately reimbursed in the marketplace.
- How would you support mental health parity and the possibility of professional psychology becoming recognized as a physician by CMS/health care systems and payors?
I have served as the Federal Advocacy Coordinator for Georgia for 20 years. It took an extended period of time to have mental health parity legislation passed. However, we must remain ever vigilant to make sure that it is being honored; violations need to be reported. We have an amazing Government relations staff and an Legal and Regulatory Affairs group at APA, and they have been responsive when violations were reported.
For psychologists to practice to the fullest extent of our training and licensure, we need passage of the Medicare Mental Health Access Act/Physician Definition bill, which is a major advocacy priority. At this time, Medicare is the only health care payer that continues to require physician oversight, supervision or prior authorization of neuropsychological or psychological services in outpatient rehabilitation facilities, partial hospitalization programs and other treatment settings outside of a psychologist’s office. This change would allow neuropsychologists and psychologists to see Medicare beneficiaries independently in all covered treatment settings, including nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, and rural health shortage areas. We need to advocate for neuropsychologists and psychologists at academic health facilities to be consistently treated as equivalent to physicians for admitting and voting privileges and access to Medical staff resources.
- What do you perceive as avenues to encourage funding for evidence-based research to enhance clinical psychological science and practice?
First and foremost, it will be important for APA’s science agenda to be widely distributed throughout psychology, federal agencies and Congress through a combination of grassroots and APA Government relations staff contacts and for psychologists and psychology to be at the table for key policy and funding discussions regarding health and mental health research. It will be important for APA members to work with the staff in developing and advocating for the science agenda. We must continue to request and advocate for consistent, robust and sustained funding from NIH, SAMSHA, CDC, and other critical agencies. As we advocate for science, we educate lawmakers about broader behavioral and social science research issues. We must communicate the importance and uniqueness of psychological research to addressing the issues of our society, such as neuroscience’s role in understanding neuropsychological and psychological outcomes, gun violence, the opioid epidemic, and effective pain management, and we must be intentional about collaborating with our colleagues in medicine and science to advance interdisciplinary research that includes psychology and psychologists.