Some of you may have received an email from NEDA asking you/your loved ones to complete a survey about treatment. Because we are committed to advocating for those whose insurance company has denied benefits for treatment, we want to share with you our concerns about this survey.
We feel it is important for you to understand that this survey was created by Optum, which is more than just a “leading information technology-enabled health services business.” Optum is the parent company of United Behavioral Health, an insurance company. As such, we highly encourage you to read both the Privacy Statement and the Terms and Conditions carefully, which reveal that the results of the survey will be the sole property of Optum.
Furthermore, we strongly encourage anyone who is thinking of completing this survey created by Optum to consult with your health care professional prior to doing so, as some of the questions may be triggering for you, your loved ones, and/or your clients.
We believe that surveys seeking to collect information from those who presently have an eating disorder, are in recovery from an eating disorder, have a loved one with an eating disorder, or are professionals in the field of eating disorders, should be created and supervised by qualified researchers in the field of eating disorders, and approved by an IRB. We feel it is unethical and inappropriate for an insurance company to ask personal questions of people suffering eating disorders, as well as it is inappropriate for an insurance company to ask NEDA to distribute a survey that was not vetted by researchers, or approved by an IRB. Lastly, we are concerned about how Optum, United Behavioral Health or any of its related companies, may use the survey information in court against our clients.
Please feel free to comment about your experience below. Should you have any questions, please contact our office.
