Responsibility of the medical group in professional abuse

Here is another great article by Mike Ricksecker on responsibilites of the medical group.  Can you believe they don't do anything about all of this?  Let's get together to see Lynette's Law for Maryland pass this year.

"Professional abuse occurs when professionals take advantage of their client or patient's trust, exploit their vulnerabilities, and fail to keep professional boundaries. This may occur with a therapist, doctor, lawyer or other similar professionals, and is a growing epidemic in the United States. Unfortunately, only a handful of states have made various forms of professional abuse illegal and, when convicted only the individual who performed the abuse is punished. The medical group or law firm at which this professional worked is not held responsible at all.

In a recent case in Maryland, Richard J. O'Meara, a therapist who had been working at Bay Area Behavioral Health in Severna Park, surrendered his licenses to practice to the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists after admitting to therapist abuse and revealing he was a convicted felon in the state of Pennsylvania. He arranged this surrender in order to avoid criminal charges and prosecution for contact that began at the office in which he worked and later extended outside of it.

Although the medical group facility provided a location for the abuse to begin, they were not cited for any of the damages incurred. Personal injury lawsuits are filed on a regular basis when injuries are sustained by customers at venues such as restaurants and stores, however, the locations at which abuse occurs in a professional environment are left unquestioned.

Even though the medical group office may not face any criminal or civil repercussions through the courts, the association with the guilty therapist or doctor leaves a black mark on the business. It's possible that positive reassociation for the business could cast the facility in a better light. For example, if Bay Area Behavioral Health publicly offered support for Lynette's Law for Maryland, a movement which is working to spread awareness of therapist abuse across the state and make background checks mandatory for therapists, it could help mend their tarnished image.

While that type of association may seem like a bit of a public relations move, it's much better than the alternative black mark that will be cast upon the facility for providing a location of opportunity for the abuse to occur. It would be accepting responsibility for a horrific event that occurred under their roof and taking a stand to help prevent it from happening there and elsewhere again."  Read more on this subject by Mike at http://www.examiner.com/article/responsibility-of-the-medical-group-professional-abuse