Frequently Asked Questions

Does there need to be an accepted mental health diagnosis on the claim to receive services?

Any injured worker with an open claim can have up to 16 Behavioral Health Intervention (BHI) counseling sessions, with a recommendation from the attending provider.

What are some symptoms/factors that would warrant seeing a therapist?

Lack of engagement in claim-related activities, impaired ability to cope with stressors, and other psychosocial barriers.

Can Licensed Master’s- Level Therapists provide mental health therapy if there is an accepted mental health condition on the claim?

Yes. While Licensed Master’s Level Therapists are not allowed to assess and diagnose contended mental health conditions, they are eligible to treat accepted mental health conditions after receiving L&I authorization.

Do You Provide Psychological Evaluations?

No, at this time we are not providing this service.

Is Great Northern Therapy Associates able to provide services for self-insured claims?

Yes.  While self-insured employers aren’t required to participate in the Master’s-Level Therapist Pilot, they certainly are able to authorize services/treatment with Great Northern for both Behavioral Health Intervention or mental health treatment for an accepted psychological diagnosis on the claim.

Is Telehealth HIPPA compliant?

Yes, there are several HIPPA-compliant platforms that provide technical safeguards that allow for confidentiality through video sessions and document-sharing.

Are we allowed to proceed with Behavioral Health Intervention (BHI) if there is an accepted psychological condition accepted on the claim?

No, if there is an accepted psychological condition on the claim, BHI isn’t considered an appropriate form of treatment.  It would be more appropriate to proceed in requesting from the claim manager that mental health treatment be authorized for that psychological condition.  This will typically allow the worker to participate in treatment on a weekly basis for 90-day periods of authorization.

If there is a denied psychological condition on the claim, can the worker proceed with Behavioral Health Intervention (BHI)?

No, if there is a denied psychological condition on the claim, BHI is not considered an appropriate form of treatment under the claim.  This means that the worker meets the DSM criteria for a psychological diagnosis but that the condition is not enough related to the claim (this could be in the case when other factors not related to the claim are impacting the worker’s mental health), therefore it is denied related to the claim.  If the worker is struggling to return to work because of this psychological condition, or is having a difficult time participating in claim-related activities (examples: med treatment or voc retraining), then sometimes the claim manager agrees to authorize mental health condition as an aide to recovery.  This should be discussed with the claim manager who will likely staff it with the occupational nurse consultant.

The attending provider suspects the worker may have a psychological diagnosis and has referred him for a psychological evaluation.  Can we start with Behavioral Health Intervention (BHI) in the meantime?

Yes, BHI visits can be completed up until there is an accepted or denied psychological condition officially on the claim.  This allows BHI to be a nice option so the worker can get support more immediately, while the process of addressing the contended psychological condition unfolds.