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Equity for Clinical Social Workers Act of 2005 (S.61)
The Clinical Social Work Federation is in strong support of the Equity for Clinical Social Workers Act of 2005, S. 61, sponsored by Sen. Daniel Inouye. This bill would allow licensed clinical social workers to receive payment at the same rate of reimbursement for the same work done by psychologists and psychiatrists.
When Medicare was enacted in 1965, clinical social work was just beginning to emerge as a mental health discipline. Clinical social work was always a subspecialty of social work, sometimes known as psychiatric social work, adhering to the ethical and systemic view of clients used by all of social work. The specific scope of practice and standards for licensure did not come about until the 1970's and 1980's. As of 2004, all states recognize licensed clinical social workers and almost all major insurers, as well as Medicare, reimburse licensed clinical social workers for their work diagnosing emotional disorders and providing psychotherapy services.
When the Medicare reimbursement system was adopted, the assumption was made that psychiatrists provided the best diagnostic and psychotherapeutic services; psychologists provided services that were approximately 75% as good as psychiatrists; and clinical social workers provided services that were 75% as good as those of psychologists. There was confusion from the beginning of this reimbursement system, as all three groups primarily used the same CPT Code – 90806 – to bill for diagnostic and psychotherapy services (CPT Codes 90801-90809 were also used by all three groups, but less frequently).
In surveys done by Consumer Reports of 4000 people who had received mental health services in 1995 and 2004, the level of satisfaction identified by consumers showed licensed clinical social workers were on a par with or having a higher satisfaction rating than psychologists and psychiatrists. Licensed clinical social workers do not provide psychological testing or prescribe medication so their focus is entirely on helping clients through the relationship and their emotional understanding of others.
CSWF asks for your support in providing equal pay for equal work by raising the rate of compensation for licensed clinical social workers to the same level as that of psychologists and psychiatrists.