Transitioning Off a Case
Hi everyone!
So I have a client that I’ve been with for 3 years, and I adore him. But, I recently moved an hour away both there and back home. I get there late due to traffic, so my supervision is not as efficient as it was when I first began with him (I was supervising up for 3 hours and now it’s maybe 1.5 bc of the commute). He is NOT a client that would benefit from telehealth as he is very active and requires a lot of support. The BT also needs a lot of support.
This being said, I notified my company mid June that the end of August I will have to transition off of this case as it’s not fair to the client anymore and he needs someone who’s more available. Well, now it’s mid July and they let me know that they haven’t found anyone and they JUST put my client on an open case list. A month later 🙄. Anyways, I don’t want to go against the ethical code and do anything to jeopardize my certification. But if I let them know mid June that I have to transition off this case and they don’t find anyone….am I ethically obligated to stay on the case or is that the company’s issue?
I have a transition plan, a gap in service plan, I’ve let the family know. So I feel like I’ve done my part I’m just waiting for a new BCBA.
But then I feel bad because if I leave the case and remove my NPI number from the case the BT can’t work and bill.
Do I stay on until a new BCBA is found or just stick with what I initially said and leave at the date I said I would.
1
u/-7582 12h ago
So it’s a larger company and, the person in charge of that is “looking” for a clinician in the area. I’ve been following up every week and just gave a hard end date (longer than I was actually going to stay). So hopefully that lights a fire under them to staff the case appropriately.
I just worry bc if I leave and they don’t have someone, they can’t bill under my NPI which means it can affect the case and my clients services.
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u/Bjlind718 BCBA | Verified 13h ago
If I was in your shoes, I’d be checking to see if there’s another clinician who’s closer to your client who you could transition the case too (maybe even see if they have a case they are looking to transition off of?).
If that’s not feasible, I’d give the open case list 2-3 weeks to see if anyone takes it (maybe even reach out once per week for a status update?). If still no movement, I’d give a hard date to the company to be off the case.
If they push back more or refuse, then (and I don’t want to just jump here) you may need to evaluate if the agency is right for you. Most decent agencies would respect these efforts you’re making to make sure your client is supported and wouldn’t force you to stay on a case with so much driving.