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Dr. O'Toole's Blog

Fighting Denied Claims Requires Perseverance

Feb 8 2010 - 6:33pm

I often have to counsel families to appeal denied claims, especially from mental health insurers who are hired by larger health plans to "administer" mental health benefits. In my experience they are there to deny claims, rather than coordinate care, facilitate access to treatment, or assist families to select appropriate providers (other than those providers who are contracted with that insurer). That would actually be useful.

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Hope at the end of the tunnel
Feb 4 2010 - 5:45pm

That light we can see at the end of this long, dim tunnel is the lantern of hope.  Sound corny?  It wouldn’t if you had been afraid to go to sleep at night for fear that your eating disordered child would stop breathing….

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Health Insurance Reform - Time to Speak Out
Jan 22 2010 - 4:06pm

Dear Kartini Families -

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Beware the class on health and fitness
Jan 15 2010 - 3:16pm

Although most of us would agree that classes on health and fitness can be fun and informative for many kids, they can be stressful for some and positively destructive for others.

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Silent night from the Blogosphere
Jan 5 2010 - 4:11pm

I have been silent here on my blog over the Christmas and New Year’s holiday, traditionally a hard time for our patients.

Christmas and Hanukkah, with all of the candies and sweets and comments about weight and failed diets, can be a challenge for our patients—although I have been impressed with how calm it was this year.

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Hypnosis at the Kartini Clinic
Dec 21 2009 - 5:33pm

Dear Readers,

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Rethinking Treatment of Food Phobia and Fear of Swallowing in Children
Nov 23 2009 - 2:42pm

My team shudders to hear it:  “I’ve got an idea…”  “I wonder what would happen if…”  since those words are usually the prelude to me revamping one of our programs and “messing with a good thing”.

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Dr. William Connors: In Memoriam
Nov 9 2009 - 11:33am

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Family Dinners: the Sports Connection
Nov 1 2009 - 11:32am

I gave a talk a few nights ago at Catlin Gabel School, a private school in Portland Oregon.  We spent a long time afterwards just talking with the school counselors and one coach about the effect of sports on family dinners.

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Family Dinner
Oct 20 2009 - 10:33am

It’s 1959, a mild day in California and we kids are playing outside.  There are four of us and four of our friends, we range all over the neighborhood and small community park without concern for our safety.  We laugh, we shout, we quarrel, we play.  And then it’s over:  “Kids! Time to come home….dinner’s ready”.  Up and down the block mothers were calling their children indoors.  It was time for dinner in America and pretty much everyone stopped what they were doing and ate.  Together.

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