Fornits
Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => CAN ~ Collective Action Network => Peninsula Village => Topic started by: ZenAgent on August 23, 2008, 09:25:56 PM
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I strongly encourage ALL PV survivors to obtain their records from the program. Call PV at 800-255-8336 and ask for Deborah Montooth in records, and ask for a release form to fill out. When you get it, check every record they offer to provide, and add "all treatment notes/restraint log entries" to the "additional records" line.
There is a statute of limitations - however, if your records have never been reviewed to see if PV deviated from the standards of practice of adolescent psychology, it changes things. I'm not a lawyer, but if you're suffering PTSD after Peninsula's "treatment", that treatment needs to be reviewed by a forensic psychiatrist. It's possible the psychiatrist will determine PV deviated from the standards of practice and did harm through negligent or abusive treatment.
No promises, but if a psychiatrist says "yes, PV's treatment was detrimental" the date he makes this decision is when the statute is tolled - a new statute of limitations starts, if you consider the psychiatrist's finding of fault with PV as "date of discovery" Ask for an extraordinary appeal - it's wrong to give a program survivor 1-2 years to file against an abusive program. How long does it take to decompress after the experience? Plus, survivors are young when they leave - re-integrating takes time, resuming education is an issue - when does a survivor have the time or desire to address what he/she went through and enter a legal fight? Some survivors have told me it takes two or three years to quit denying what happened to them in a program, the strong emotions flood in when the frozen memories thaw. Conveniently for the industry, the malpractice laws in most states are geared toward simple medical malpractice, not mental health. It's time to set some precedents, folks, we need to start making extraordinary appeals using date of discovery and consideration for the young ages of survivors upon release from programs.
The records from PV are expensive - it's an attempt to discourage you from getting them. If the money is an issue, contact me and I'll try to help. It is VERY important to get your records, and if you haven't been out of PV for a long time, don't read them when they arrive - I'm serious, the level of over-documentation and possibly damaging revelations in the records could do you harm. If you do have to read them, please do it slowly and carefully and back off if you start getting depressed. It's like going back to PV, your daily actions while there are detailed by four different groups - treatment team leaders (psychologist and his sidekick), the staff psychiatrist, the family therapist, and almost hourly notes by the counselors on your unit. You've already been in PV, you don't want to go back to the place, even in your mind.
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Well this ought to be interesting.
Take Zen up on this offer kids. Could be a good way to bring some heavy heat to PV.
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I strongly encourage ALL PV survivors to obtain their records from the program. Call PV at 800-255-8336 and ask for Deborah Mantooth in records, and ask for a release form to fill out.
Also. Make sure to keep a record of doing all this (written is easiest).
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Photocopy all correspondence..
Send all letters via registered mail.. Keep the receipts.
I suppose you could even get all requests notarized, but I'm not sure what good that would do.
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A certified letter will allow you track the request online to find out exactly when it is delivered. The cost is astronomical and as far as I could tell, PV is the only subsidiary of PBH that keeps on site records (and charges a fortune).
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A certified letter will allow you track the request online to find out exactly when it is delivered. The cost is astronomical and as far as I could tell, PV is the only subsidiary of PBH that keeps on site records (and charges a fortune).
Mailing a certified letter doesn't cost that much does it? Last time I did it I remember it costing me a few dollars at the most.
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If you know a lawyer, doctor, or therapist then see if they will write the letter. It will seem more important and have more weight. I heard this from a lawyer well versed on the subject.
Yes the fee is to discourage you until the statute of limitations. I wrote Timberlawn for my records and we got some of it but not all of it (I think). My therapist said most of it was too disturbing to bother sharing with me. She read me a few passages that made me laugh. They actually thought they had succeeded at turning me into a straight person. How grandiose of them. She said their was a great deal of daily crap in there too. Like what time I brushed my teeth or whatever. Finding what we wanted in that thick chart was hard. Mostly, she was verifying the abuse I told her about, and trying to understand my nightmares. She was not charged a fee, but that was about 15 years ago and believe me Timberlawn had lots of lawsuits facing them at that time.
If a doctor or therapist friend requests it for treatment purposes with the proper release form (HIPAA-http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/) it will probably hold more weight. That does not mean go tell your doctor or therapist to do it. Ask a friend. I found my current shrink read some screwed up testing on me and after a year, he said the results were a load of crap, and he had learned his lesson on reading other people's diagnoses. Point is you can't, and if you are a true diagnostician you won't. We finally figured out that the tester had just barfed up my old paperwork, I had given them from Timberlawn. A lesson I have learned is that I no longer ever tell a doctor about my hospitalizations. I have had that backfire once too often.
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This should make it easier to get your records from PV: here are the forms to print out, one for health/medical records, one for psychotherapy notes. Indeed, the therapy was psycho...
http://www.fornits.com/pv/Authorization ... 7-1-05.doc (http://www.fornits.com/pv/Authorization%20to%20Release%20Health%20Info%20-%207-1-05.doc)
http://www.fornits.com/pv/Authorization ... 7-1-05.doc (http://www.fornits.com/pv/Authorization%20to%20Release%20Psychotherapy%20Notes%20Info%207-1-05.doc)
Mail them to:
2431 Jones Bend Road
P. O. Box 100
Louisville, TN 37777
Att. Deborah Montooth
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Just curious, id Deborah Mantooth any relation to Tim Mantooth of Atlanta
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Just curious, id Deborah Mantooth any relation to Tim Mantooth of Atlanta
Not sure. I misspelled it in the first post, it's Montooth. Considering the amount of recruiting PV does in Atlanta, it wouldn't be surprising.
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where can i view the costs of getting my records?
if i have a therapist or psychiatrist that ive known for years request the record, should they check for patients request or for care?
if i dont get the entire record, how can i ensure that i get the rest?
and what are the limitations? i was there in 03-04... would i still be able to get mine?
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where can i view the costs of getting my records?
if i have a therapist or psychiatrist that ive known for years request the record, should they check for patients request or for care?
if i dont get the entire record, how can i ensure that i get the rest?
and what are the limitations? i was there in 03-04... would i still be able to get mine?
Hi milk blood,
I am glad you came back. You can actually request your own records from PV, but if you prefer to have your care provider send for them (which is a good idea for some people because in several cases even seasoned therapists have found the records shocking to read)
You should still be able to get your records because PV keeps them on the premises. I have heard some kids say they were told their records would be destroyed after five years but I think that is another way to discourage former patients from asking for them. There is no reason why you shouldn't get all of your records, but if you feel that some are missing, you should take measures to resolve the error in a reasonable fashion. After that...
You will have to call to get the exact fee for your records. If you are uncomfortable, ask your therapist to call for you.
They are expensive, but we have a small fund set up for kids who might need some financial help.
If anyone else has something to add here please feel free.
Here is a link to Zens post with the form docs.
This should make it easier to get your records from PV: here are the forms to print out, one for health/medical records, one for psychotherapy notes. Indeed, the therapy was psycho...
http://www.fornits.com/pv/Authorization ... 7-1-05.doc (http://www.fornits.com/pv/Authorization%20to%20Release%20Health%20Info%20-%207-1-05.doc)
http://www.fornits.com/pv/Authorization ... 7-1-05.doc (http://www.fornits.com/pv/Authorization%20to%20Release%20Psychotherapy%20Notes%20Info%207-1-05.doc)
Mail them to:
2431 Jones Bend Road
P. O. Box 100
Louisville, TN 37777
Att. Deborah Montooth
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I just got an email back from PV.
Hello Mr. XXXXXX I had a request for records from you forwarded to me via our online messaging. I am inclosing 2 release attachments that would need to be filled out and signed. There is a fee for making personal copies of records. If the request is for follow up care to another provider we would send those to your provider as a professional courtesy you just make the release out to send to them.
The fee will be $.75 for the first 50 pages, $.50 for the next 50 to 199 pages and then $.25 for the each page after that.
Please feel free to call me at 865-970-3255- opt 1 and opt2.
Thank you.
Debra Montooth
Peninsula Village Medical Records
PO Box 100, Jones Bend Rd
Louisville, TN 37777
865-970-3255, option 1, option 2
1-800-255-8336, optionn 1, option 2
fax: 865-970-1812
I sent an email back requesting the total number of pages. I will attempt to have the records sent to the facility that I currently work at since I can likely get our clinician to sign a HIPPA release for me. Either way, its easy to see that these records could end up being very costly for a patient that had a long stay.
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I just got an email back from PV.
Hello Mr. XXXXXX I had a request for records from you forwarded to me via our online messaging. I am inclosing 2 release attachments that would need to be filled out and signed. There is a fee for making personal copies of records. If the request is for follow up care to another provider we would send those to your provider as a professional courtesy you just make the release out to send to them.
The fee will be $.75 for the first 50 pages, $.50 for the next 50 to 199 pages and then $.25 for the each page after that.
Please feel free to call me at 865-970-3255- opt 1 and opt2.
Thank you.
Debra Montooth
Peninsula Village Medical Records
PO Box 100, Jones Bend Rd
Louisville, TN 37777
865-970-3255, option 1, option 2
1-800-255-8336, optionn 1, option 2
fax: 865-970-1812
I sent an email back requesting the total number of pages. I will attempt to have the records sent to the facility that I currently work at since I can likely get our clinician to sign a HIPPA release for me. Either way, its easy to see that these records could end up being very costly for a patient that had a long stay.
So... are you saying if someone has 300 pages of records, it'll cost them about $137.50? Geeezzz...
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Judging by the amount of documentation that msot facilities I work with in California are required to do, I think that 300 pages would cover a stay of MAYBE 2 months. Thats a pretty conservative estimate.
You are going to have a minimum of 1 page per progress note per shift, per day. Plus at least 1 group note per day. Plus a page any time the patient is restrained. Thats not counting documentation for medication changes, treatment team meetings, family meetings, etc.
Keep in mind though, I don't have any hard numbers as far as how many pages are included in my personal packet. Once I find out, I'll post it up here. Luckily I'm in a position that I can get a HIPPA release signed by either my clinician or my personal therapist. The "professional courtesy" part of the email is something that I will work on getting details about. Might be a loophole that folks can use to get their records without draining their bank accounts.
I'd say that the crazy charge scale for records is clearly a tactic to keep people from following through on getting them.
Just to put things in perspective the facility I work for generally ends up with 120+ pages of documentation for our clients. We are designated as a 5-7 day facility.
Edit: Nice to see that the PV staff can't even be bothered to use a spell checker.
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My first request for records was denied using the catch all term of "clinical necessity" as the reason. The family therapist told me it was because treatment team was afraid I would "use them against the program in a slanderous way". Hmmm...
When my daughter turned 18 she made another request for the records and was able to get them for just under $200.00.
As xEnderx stated, there are copious notes. Incidents are documented by several different people, and I was startled by the number of conflicting accounts.
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Bear in mind that notes written by different people about the same situation may be different if they are not properly trained in how to write an objective behavioral progress note. Given the lack of required experience or credentials for line staff, I highly doubt that all of them are capable of writing a quality progress note. That alone is reason enough for a parent to have second thoughts about sending their child to this facility. Abuse and all the horror stories aside, if the staff that is responsible for the day to day care of the patients can't even write an objective note do you really think they are going to provide the level of care you'd expect to receive for the outrageous PV cost?
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Email received while on vacation.
[qoute]Hello Mr XXXXX, I received your email this morning but did not receive the release forms I sent you. Your email indicated you had attachments but they were not there. I will wait on those to request your chart from our off site storage provider. I would be able to count the pages at that time. Again if you have any questions you may call me at the number below. Thanks.
Debra Montooth
Peninsula Village Medical Records
PO Box 100, Jones Bend Rd
Louisville, TN 37777
865-970-3255, option 1, option 2
1-800-255-8336, optionn 1, option 2
fax: 865-970-1812[/quote]
So it looks like you can find out in advance how copious their record keeping is. My next psych appointment is on the 17th of this month, so I'll be attempting to have the records released to my therapist once that time is reached. Either way, this should give folks a better grasp of the ease (or lack of ease) involved in obtaining records.