Insurance Providers in United States

In US there are many companies who provide insurance but there are many providers who are limited in resource and they provide special type of insurance only. I have created list of companies who provide Healthcare Insurance. Also made category for specialized ones who provide only special type of Insurance. Links to reach these companies directly are embedded.

                                              Insurance Companies in the United States

21st Century Insurance
Aetna
Acuity
Aflac
Alleghany Corporation
Allied Insurance
Allstate
American Automobile Association
American Family Insurance
American Income Life Insurance Company
American International Group (AIG)
American National Insurance Company
Ameritas Life Insurance Company
Amica Mutual Insurance
Applied Underwriters
Arbella Insurance Group
Assurant
Auto-Owners Insurance
AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company
Bankers Life and Casualty Company
Berkshire Hathaway
California Casualty
Cincinnati Insurance Company
CNA Financial
Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company
Combined Insurance
Commerce Insurance Group
Conseco
Country Financial
Chartis
Chubb Corp.
Elephant
Encompass Insurance Company
Erie Insurance Group
Esurance
Evergreen USA RRG
FM Global
Family Heritage
Farmers Insurance Group
Federated Mutual Insurance Company
First Catholic Slovak Ladies Association of the United States of America
FirstComp Insurance Company
First Insurance Company of Hawaii
GAINSCO
GEICO
General Re
Genworth Financial
GMAC Insurance
Gracy Title Company
Guarantee Insurance Company
Guardian Life Insurance Company of America
GuideOne Insurance
Hanover Insurance
The Hartford
HCC Insurance Holdings
Infinity Property & Casualty Corporation
IntelliQuote Insurance Services
Jackson National Life
John Hancock Insurance
K&K Insurance
Kansas City Life Insurance Company
Kentucky Farm Bureau
Liberty Mutual
Lincoln National Corporation
Markel Corporation
MassMutual Financial Group
Merchants Insurance Group
Mercury Insurance Group
MetLife
Mutual of Omaha
National Life
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Company
New York Life Insurance Company
Northwestern Mutual
Ohio Mutual Insurance Group
Omega
OneBeacon
Oxford Health Plans
Pacific Life
Pacificare
PEMCO
Penn Mutual
Philadelphia Contributionship for the Insurance of Houses from Loss by Fire
Philadelphia Insurance Companies
Principal Financial Group
Primerica
Progressive
Protective Life
Prudential Financial
QBE
The Regence Group
Reliance Insurance Company
RLI Corp.
Safe Auto Insurance Company
Safeco
Safeway Insurance Group
Secura Insurance Company
Sentry Insurance
Selective Insurance
Shelter Insurance
Southern Aid and Insurance Company
Standard Insurance Company
State Auto Insurance Group
State Farm Insurance
Sun Life Financial
Symetra
TIAA-CREF
The Main Street America Group
The Travelers Companies
Trupanion
Unitrin Direct Auto Insurance
Unum
USAA
West Bend
West Coast Life
Western Mutual Insurance Group
Western & Southern Financial Group
Westfield Insurance
White Mountains Insurance Group
Workmen's Auto Insurance Company
Zurich NA
Main article: Life annuity
Allstate
American Family Insurance
American Fidelity Assurance
Amica Mutual Insurance
AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company
Bankers Life and Casualty
Conseco
Farmers Insurance Group
Fidelity
Genworth Financial
ING Group
Jackson National Life
John Hancock Insurance
Lincoln National Corporation
MetLife
Mutual of Omaha
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
Old Mutual
Pacific Life
Protective Life
Prudential Financial
Standard Insurance Company
State Farm Insurance
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
TIAA-CREF
Transamerica Corporation
UNIFI Companies
United of Omaha
Western & Southern Financial Group



                                              Major Medical Health insurance Providers 

AARP
Aetna
American Family Insurance
American National Insurance Company
Amerigroup
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Assurant
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
Centene Corporation
Cigna
Coventry Health Care
EmblemHealth
Fortis
Golden Rule Insurance Company
Group Health Cooperative
GHI
Health Net
HealthMarkets
HealthSpring
Highmark
Humana
Independence Blue Cross
Kaiser Permanente
Kaleida Health
LifeWise Health Plan of Oregon
Medical Mutual of Ohio
Molina Healthcare
Premera Blue Cross
Principal Financial Group
The Regence Group
Shelter Insurance
State Farm
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
UnitedHealth Group
Unitrin
Universal American Corporation
WellCare Health Plans
WellPoint


                                                               Medicare Providers

Aetna
American Family Insurance
Bankers Life and Casualty
Conseco
Kaiser Permanente
Mutual of Omaha
Premera Blue Cross
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Tricare

                                                      Supplemental Insurance Providers 

Aflac
Allstate
American Fidelity Assurance
Assurant
Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company
Combined Insurance
Conseco
Liberty National Life Insurance Company
MEGA Life and Health Insurance
Mutual of Omaha
State Farm Insurance


                                                        Travel Insurance Providers

Seven Corners
Travel Guard
USA-ASSIST Worldwide Protection


                                                  Workers' Compensation Insurance Providers

Accident Fund
American International Group (AIG)
Cincinnati Financial Corporation
Erie Insurance Group
GUARD Insurance Group
Hanover Insurance
The Hartford
Liberty Mutual
Merchants Insurance Group
Missouri Employers Mutual
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
Penn National Insurance
Sentry Insurance
State Accident Insurance Fund
State Compensation Insurance Fund
State Farm Insurance
WellPoint
Zenith Insurance Company


Please leave names of Insurance Providers if i missed someone in Comments. So that they can be updated and people looking for list of healthcare providers will not have to waste time in search of providers.

Who is Responsible for Failure of Affordorable Care Act?

Obama with Officials

Medical Healthcare insurance is backbone of US. From past decades we have seen lots of changes in Healthcare Laws and many Healthcare Reforms were made in order to maintain sustainability of Healthcare Insurance. After becoming President of United States US President Barack Obama kept his focus towards growth of country. Obama introduces Obama-care for US people as Healthcare reform.

But insurance provider from the time Obama-care was introduced were against that and they kept saying that the these changes would disrupt coverage and increase premium for consumers.
Many insurance industry officials and state insurance commissioners expressed their frustration on Friday by saying that they were confused by President Barack Obama's assertion that the cancellation of millions of insurance policies occurred because a key provision of the Affordable Care Act didn't work as expected.

Many of don't know but there is widespread cancellation of policies in individual health insurance market roughly 5 million and counting. This is not only for Individual Medical Healthcare insurance policies cancellation but cancellations are occurring in the small group market also which covers businesses with between two and 50 employees.Medical Healthcare Insurance

Health Insurance Provides were saying this for years that the requirements in the law were going to mean that people couldn't keep their plans and they were  going to have to purchase coverage that was more expensive. And now everything said is coming true and people are acting as surprised.

The President is now accepting responsibility for Obama-care's dramatic roll down at new Conference. He repeated his pledge that " If you like your insurance, you can keep it."
Questions raised why he continued to say that when estimates from his own administration suggested millions of Americans would not be able to keep their insurance. For this Obama replied "There is no doubt that the way I put that forward unequivocally ended up not being accurate. It was because of my intention not to deliver on that commitment and that promise. We put a Grandfather clause into the law but it was insufficient.

So Mr. President proposed a solution that he directed to Healthcare insurance providers to keep on selling plans that don't comply with Obama-care for one more year.

This said Medical Healthcare Insurance Commissioners from California, Florida , Kentucky and North Carolina said they would move quickly to implement the President;s request. Many Healthcare Insurance Providers officials suggested this move is too late in the game to change the rules.

I don't know how successful will be Mr. President but I am sure after this failure he is going to learn new lesson for betterment's of People. 

Healthcare Reform in form of ICD 10 in Healthcare insurnace

Healthcare industry in US brings one more change as most innovative of itself. We all know about ICD codes. From past decades US healthcare Industry was  working of ICD 9 codes. Now to drill down more appropriate coding as per disease and increase in various health issues Healthcare industry in world had taken steps and introduced new range of coding and named them as ICD 10. Different parts of world have already started using ICD 10 in their healthcare insurance but US being one of the vast and biggest contributor in this industry is now changing to ICD 10.

ICD 10 is equivalent to learning another language and this will require proper training and education.
In US the pace at which hospital administrators , health professionals and compliance employees are moving toward this ICD 10 transition has raised concern among Healthcare industry leaders. As per Latest survey about 20 percent of small and mid sized hospital have yet to begin any education or training for what's been billed as once the biggest of US healthcare industry of World healthcare industry shifts to ICD 10.
The surveys says that nearly half are lagging behind on the centers for Medicare and Medicaid services timelines for ICD 10 preparation  Surveys results shows that 40 percents of have not begun ICD 10 CM Training for coding staff , 55 percents have not begun ICD 10 PCS training for coding staff , 47 percent have not begun document improvement education for medical staff and about 31 percent do not plan to dual code prior to Oct 1 ,2014.
It is clear that the industry is not making the amount of progress that is needed for a smooth transition  Factors that are contributing to this slow progress includes the change of compliance dates , completing internal priorities and other regulatory mandates. Also despite they know they have to change to ICD 10 respondents are planning to submit ICD 10 coded claims to payers for testing prior to the transition.

State Healthcare

US is covered with medical healthcare healthcare insurance. Medical Healthcare insurance is divided in different states and benefits sometimes differ between states.

States having medical healthcare healthcare insurance.


• Connecticut (CT)
• Delaware (DE)
• District of Columbia (DC)
• Florida (FL)
• Georgia (GA)
• Hawaii (HI)
• Idaho (ID)
• Illinois (IL)
• Indiana (IN)
• Iowa (IA)
• Kansas (KS)
• Kentucky (KY)
• Louisiana (LA)
• Maine (ME)
• Maryland (MD)
• Massachusetts (MA)
• Michigan (MI)
• Minnesota (MN)
• Mississippi (MS)
• Missouri (MO)
• Montana (MT)
• Nebraska (NE)
• Nevada (NV)
• New Hampshire (NH)
• New Jersey (NJ)
• New Mexico (NM)
• New York (NY)
• North Carolina (NC)
• North Dakota (ND)
• Ohio (OH)
• Oklahoma (OK)
• Oregon (OR)
• Pennsylvania (PA)
• Rhode Island (RI)
• South Carolina (SC)
• South Dakota (SD)
• Tennessee (TN)
• Texas (TX)
• Utah (UT)
• Vermont (VT)
• Virginia (VA)
• Washington (WA)
• West Virginia (WV)
• Wisconsin (WI)
• Wyoming (WY)
• American Samoa (AS)
• Federated States of Micronesia (FM)
• Guam (GU)
• Marshall Islands (MH)
• Northern Mariana Islands (MP)
• Palau (PW)
• Puerto Rico (PR)
• Virgin Islands (VI)

Medicare Vs Medigap in Medical Healthcare Insurance

                                                     Medicare Vs Medigap


Medicare is the federal (national) health insurance program for Americans age 65 and older and for certain disabled Americans. If you are eligible for Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits and are age 65, you and your spouse automatically qualify for Medicare.

Medicare has two parts: Hospital insurance, known as Part A, and Supplementary medical insurance, known as Part B, which provides payments for doctors and related services and supplies ordered by the doctor. If you are eligible for Medicare, Part A is free, but you must pay a premium for Part B.

Medicare will pay for many of your health care expenses, but not all of them. In particular, Medicare does not cover most nursing home care, long-term care services in the home, or prescription drugs. There are also special rules when Medicare pays your bills that apply if you have employer group health insurance coverage through your own job or the employment of a spouse.

Medicare usually operates on a fee-for-service basis. HMOs and similar forms of prepaid health care plans are now available to Medicare enrollees in some locations.

The best sources of information on the Medicare program are the handbook Medicare & You , and the Medicare website. You may also contact your local Social Security office for information and materials.

Some people who are covered by Medicare buy private insurance, called "Medigap" policies, to pay the medical bills that Medicare does not cover. Some Medigap policies cover Medicare's deductibles; most Medigap policies pay the coinsurance amount. Some Medigap policies also pay for health services not covered by Medicare.

There are 10 standard medical healthcare insurance plans from which you can choose but some States may have fewer than 10. If you buy a Medigap policy, make sure you do not purchase more than one. You need to shop carefully before deciding on the best Medigap policy to fit your needs.

Disability Insurance
Disability insurance replaces income you lose if you have a long-term illness or injury and cannot work. Disability coverage is an important type of insurance for working-age people to consider. Disability insurance does not cover the cost of rehabilitation if you are injured. Check your major medical insurance to see if it is covered there.

Some employers offer group disability insurance and this may be one of the benefits where you work. Or you might be eligible for some government-sponsored programs that provide disability benefits. Many different kinds of individual disability policies are also available.


Hospital Indemnity Insurance
Hospital indemnity insurance offers limited coverage. It pays a fixed amount for each day, up to a maximum number of days. You may use it for medical or other health care expenses. Usually, the amount you receive will be less than the cost of a hospital stay.

Some hospital indemnity policies will pay the specified daily amount even if you have other health insurance. Other hospital indemnity insurance plans may coordinate benefits, so that the money you receive does not equal more than 100 percent of the hospital bill.


Long-Term Care Insurance
Long-term care insurance is designed to cover the costs of nursing home care, which can be several thousand dollars each month. Long-term care is usually not covered by health insurance except in a very limited way. Medicare covers very few long-term care expenses. There are many long-term care insurance plans and they vary in costs and services covered, each with its own limits.

Medical and Health Insurance

Understanding health insurance plans is in reality very complicated. There are many healthcare insurance plans available in market , and deciding which one is best for you is not easy.

Is known that you  have to compromise in some areas. Whether it is cost, variety of health services covered or access to the doctors of your choice, you probably will not get the perfect health insurance plan.

The following points will help you to understand your options.


What Is Most Important to You in a Health Insurance Plan? 
In choosing a health insurance plan, you have to decide what is most important to you. All health plans have trade offs. Ask yourself these questions:

•How comprehensive do you want coverage of health care services to be?
•How do you feel about limits on your choice of doctors or hospitals?
•How do you feel about a primary care doctor referring you to specialists for additional health care?
•How convenient does your health care need to be?
•How important is the cost of health services?
•How much are you willing to spend on health insurance premiums and other health care costs?
•How do you feel about keeping receipts and filing health insurance claims?

You might also want to think about whether the services that a health insurance plan offers meet your needs. Call the health insurance plan for details about coverage if you have questions. As far as i know please consider:

•Life changes you may be thinking about, such as starting a family or retiring.
•Chronic health conditions or disabilities that you or family members have.
•If you or anyone in your family will need health care for the elderly.
•Health care for family members who travel a lot, attend college, or spend time at two homes.


What Health Insurance Plan Benefits Are Offered? 
Most health insurance plans provide basic medical coverage, but the details are what count. The best health insurance plan for someone else may not be the best plan for you. For each health insurance plan you are considering, find out how it handles the following:

•Physical examinations and health screenings.
•Health care by specialists.
•Hospitalization and emergency care.
•Prescription drugs.
•Vision care.
•Dental services.
•Care and counseling for mental health.
•Services for drug and alcohol abuse.
•Obstetrical-gynecological care and family planning services.
•Ongoing care for chronic (long-term) diseases, conditions, or disabilities.
•Physical therapy and other rehabilitative care.
•Home health, nursing home, and hospice care.
•Chiropractic or alternative health care, such as acupuncture.
•Experimental treatments.
•What preventive care is offered, such as shots for children?
•What health screenings are given, such as breast exams and Pap smears for women?

What Are the Health Insurance Costs? 
No health insurance plan will cover every health expense. To get a true idea of what your health care costs will be under each plan, you need to look at how much you will pay for your health insurance premium and other costs.

•Are there deductibles you must pay before the health insurance begins to help cover your costs?
•After you have met your health insurance deductible, what part of your health costs are paid by the plan?
•Does this amount vary by the type of service, doctor, or health facility used?
•Are there co-payments you must pay for certain health services, such as doctor visits?
•If you use doctors outside a plan's network, how much more will you pay to get care?
•If a health insurance plan does not cover certain health services or care that you think you will need, how much will you have to pay?
•Are there any limits to how much you must pay in case of major illness?
•Is there a limit on how much the health insurance plan will pay for your care in a year or over a lifetime? A single hospital stay for a serious condition could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

You cannot know in advance what your health care needs for the coming year will be. But you can guess what health services you and your family might need. Figure out what the total costs to your family would be for these services under each health insurance plan.


                            Understanding  Medical Healthcare Insurance Plans

Location of Health Care Services

•Where will you go for care?
•Are these places near where you work or live?
•How does the plan handle care when you are away from home?

Limitations on Health Care Services 
Look at the services offered by each health insurance plan.

•What services are limited or not covered?
•Is there a good match between what is provided and what you think you will need? For example, if you have a chronic disease, is there a special program for that illness?
•Will the plan provide the medicines and equipment you may need?
Find out what types of care or services the plan will not pay for. These are usually called exclusions.


Compare Health Insurance Plans 
After you review what benefits are available and decide what is important to you, you can compare plans. Many things should be considered. These include services offered, choice of providers, location, and costs. The quality of care is also a factor to think about

Why you need Medical Insurance?

Question :- Why you need Medical/Healthcare Insurance?


In the United States, if you do not have any healthcare insurance coverage (medical insurance), you have to pay for healthcare out of your own finances at the time of service. This can run into many thousands of dollars for serious illnesses.

You buy health insurance for the same reason you buy other kinds of insurance: to protect yourself financially. With health insurance, you protect yourself and your family in case you need medical care that could be very expensive.

You cannot predict what your medical bills will be. In a good year, your costs may be low. But if you become ill, your bills could be very high. If you have health insurance, many of your costs are covered by a third-party payer, not by you. A third-party payer can be an health insurance company or, in some cases, it can be your employer.

Many people in the United States are enrolled in some sort of managed care health insurance plan. This is an organized way of both providing services and paying for them. Different types of managed care plans work differently and include preferred provider organizations (PPOs), health maintenance organizations (HMOs), point-of-service (POS) plans and fee-for-service plans. More details about these Plans are explained under different section

Individuals enrolled in health care plans pay a monthly or quarterly fee for health insurance coverage as insurance for the time when they will need medical attention. At the time when a service is provided, the health insurance organization pays part or all of the fee, minimizing the amount you have to pay at the time you receive the service.

To know more about medical healthcare insurance please read page Medical Healthcare Insurance.

US Medical Healthcare Insurance Companies

Almost everyone in US think that they have " the best healthcare system in he world", as President Bush provide "best medical care in the world".

Near about twelve years ago the World Health Organization made the first major effort to the health systems of nearly 200 nations . In which Frace and Italy took the top two spots; the United States was a dismal 37th.

Despite this , it is doubtful that many Americans face life threatening illness and this can be treated elsewhere. US medical centres are the best medical centre in the world.

Top Medical Healthcare Insurance companies in US are mentioned below as per their Ranking .

Unitedhealth Group
Wellpoint Inc. Group
Kaiser Foundation Group
Aetna Group
Humana Group
HCSC Group
Coventry Corp. Group
Highmark Group
Independence Blue cross Group
Blue Shiled of CA Group
Cigna Health Group
BCBS of MI Group
Health Net of California
BCBS Of NJ Group
BCBS of FL Group
Regence Group
BCBS of MA Group
Carefirst Inc. Group
Wellcare Group
HIP Ins. Group
Metropolitan Group
Unumprovident Corp. Group
Universal Amer Fin Corp. Group
Lifetime Healthcare Group
BCBS of NC Group

Foot and Public Healthcare - Medical Healthcare

Foot care practitioners

Care and treatment for the foot, ankle, and lower leg may be delivered by podiatrists, pedorthists, foot health practitioners, podiatric medical assistants, podiatric nurse and others.

Podiatry or podiatric medicine is a branch  devoted to the study of, diagnosis, and medical treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle, and lower extremity.  A Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM), is a specialist qualified by their education and training to diagnose and treat conditions affecting the foot, ankle, and structures of the leg. Podiatric physicians have extensive background knowledge in human anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, sociological and psychological perspectives, general medicine, surgery and pharmacology. Specialist podiatric physicians are podiatrists who are qualified by additional postgraduate training or fellowship training and experience in the specialized field.

Pedorthist is the title of a healthcare professional who specializes in the use of footwear and supportive devices to address conditions which affect the feet and lower limbs. They are trained in the assessment of lower limb anatomy and bio mechanics  and the appropriate use of corrective footwear – including shoes, shoe modifications, foot orthoses and other pedorthic devises. “Certified Pedorthist” is a title used by both the College of Pedorthics of Canada as well as the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics . However, in many jurisdictions the practice of pedorthists is self-regulated; professional certification is voluntary.


Public Healthcare practitioners

A public health practitioner focuses on improving health among individuals, families and communities through the prevention and treatment of diseases and injuries,  and promotion of healthy behaviors. This category includes community and preventive medicine specialists, public health nurses, dietitians, environmental health officers, paramedics, epidemiologists, health inspectors, and others.


Dietitians are experts in food and nutrition. They advise people on what to eat in order to lead a healthy lifestyle or achieve a specific health-related goal. Dietitians work in various different capacities in the field of healthcare, food service, corporate setting, and educational arenas.

Environmental Health Officers (also known as Public Health Inspectors) are responsible for carrying out measures for protecting public health, including administering and enforcing legislation related to environmental health and providing support to minimize health and safety hazards. They are involved in a variety of activities, for example inspecting food facilities, investigating public health nuisances, and implementing disease control. Environmental health officers are focused on prevention, consultation, investigation, and education of the community regarding health risks and maintaining a safe environment.

Environmental health is a graduate career in most countries. The minimum requirements in most countries include an approved university degree program, field training and professional certification & registration.

For more information about other healthcare providers please read page Healthcare Providers.

Understanding Mental Health - Medical Healthcare

 What is Mental Health and how this is related to Medical Healthcare or Healthcare Insurance ?

A mental health professional is a healthcare practitioner who offers services for the purpose of improving an individual's mental health or to treat mental illness. This  category includes psychiatrists (D.O. or M.D.), clinical psychologists (Psy.D or Ph.D.), clinical social workers (MSW or MSSW), psychiatric nurses, mental health counselors, professional counselors, pharmacists, as well as many other professionals. These professionals often deal with the same illnesses, disorders, conditions, and issues; however, their scope of practice differs. The most significant difference between mental health professionals are the laws regarding required education and training across the various professions.

Treatment diversity


Mental health professionals exist to improve the mental health of individuals, couples, and families. Because mental health covers a wide range of elements, the scope of practice greatly varies between professionals. Some professionals may enhance relationships while others treat specific mental disorders and illness. Often, as with the case of psychiatrists and psychologists, the scope of practice may overlap.

Most qualified mental health professionals will refer a patient or client to another healthcare professional if the specific type of treatment needed is outside of their scope of practice. Additionally, many mental health professionals may sometimes work together using a variety of treatment options such as concurrent psychiatric medication and psychotherapy. Additionally, specific mental health professionals may be utilized based upon their cultural and religious background or experience. These practitioners are linked under Healthcare insurance and if one has coverage under a plan of Medical Healthcare insurance they need not to worry about where to find these practitioners as they have their website and calling number from where they can get all the information. For mental health Healthcare Insurance had different plans which make plan worthy to people or group to take such plans.


Psychiatrist

Psychiatrists are physicians and one of the few professionals in the mental health industry who specialize and are certified in treating mental illness using the biomedical approach to mental disorders including the use of medications.
Psychiatrists may also go through significant training to conduct psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy; however psychologists and clinical psychologists specialize in the research and clinical application of these techniques. The amount of training a psychiatrist holds in providing these types of therapies varies from program to program and also differs greatly based upon region.

                                            Specialties of psychiatrists

As part of their evaluation of the patient, psychiatrists are one of only a few mental health professionals who may conduct physical examinations, order and interpret laboratory tests and EEGs, and may order brain imaging studies such as CT or CAT, MRI, and PET scanning. A medical professional must evaluate the patient for any medical problems or diseases that may be the cause of the mental illness.
Historically psychiatrists have been the only mental health professional with the power to prescribe medication to treat specific types of mental illness. Currently, Physician Assistants and advanced practice psychiatric nurses may prescribe medications, including psychiatric medications. Clinical psychologists have gained the ability to prescribe psychiatric medications on a limited basis in a few U.S. states after completing additional training and passing an examination.

Collect information about clients through interviews, observations, and tests.
Act as the client’s advocate in order to coordinate required services or to resolve emergency problems in crisis situations.
Develop and implement treatment plans based on clinical experience and knowledge.
Collaborate with other staff members to perform clinical assessments and develop treatment plans.
Evaluate client’s physical or mental condition based on review of client information.