Can Insurance be billed for anger management classes?

Quite often, persons seeking Anger Management classes ask if we accept Medi-Cal or private health insurance for payment. Anger is a learned behavior and is not listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV). Because of this, insurance cannot be billed for payment of any Anger Management class fees, not even ours. (Ironically, our class fees are lower than the co-pay required by most insurance plans!)
Billing insurance for payment of Anger Management classes is a questionable, if not illegal practice, here's why...For Example:Many licensed mental health providers are diagnosing anger management clients as suffering from depression and then billing managed health care companies. To the credit of the American Psychiatric Association, they have correctly identified problems managing anger as lifestyle issues rather than as defined nervous or mental disorders.The medical and mental health industries use one publication as the standard to classify illnesses. Only those illnesses and conditions listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) are accepted to be medical or mental conditions. Because it is a learned behavior and not a nervous or mental disorder, Anger is not listed. This means that health care providers, including Medi-Cal do not have to pay for the treatment of anger.Since anger is not listed in the DSM, it actually does not exist as a billable medical condition and therefore should not be billed as such. As a trained and certified anger management provider I educate consumers about anger, anger management and anger management intervention. Anger is a normal human emotion. It may become a problem if it is too intense, lasts too long, is physically or mentally harmful to self others or leads to aggression or violence.Unfortunately, major corporations as well as organized professional sports routinely refer their employees and athletes to psychiatrist for anger management and assume that this is what they are receiving. It is not only dishonest, but fraudulent to claim anger as a mental disorder and bill third pay organizations using DSM-IV codes.Anger management is not counseling or psychotherapy. Anger is a learned behavior and can be unlearned through Anger Management classes. Using an established curriculum, a person can learn techniques to gain control over their anger and the issues that trigger it. The success of the person taking these classes depends on their willingness to help themselves and their ability to practice these techniques in their daily lives on a continual basis.

For more information contact

Karina Narduzzi B.A., C.A.M.F.

Positive Solutions Anger Management and Executive Coaching
www.positivesolutions.org
info@positivesolutions.org
661-303-5669