A Florida social worker who was employed at an online mental health platform called Brightside Health was forced to surrender her license after authorities found out that her wife was impersonating her and treating patients. Peggy A. Randolph worked for Brightside Health from January 2021 to February 2022. Her wife, Tammy Heath-Randolph had been taking clients during this time to provide service to hundreds of clients despite her lack of qualifications.
When Tammy passed away, one of Randolph’s patients reported that she had been treated by Tammy, Peggy’s unlicensed wife. This patient provided a picture of Tammy providing therapy to her via video chat. Originally, Peggy denied any knowledge of Tammy’s involvement in treating patients, claiming that her wife had an “uncontrolled bipolar condition” that may have led her to treat patients behind Peggy’s back.
However, the subsequent investigation revealed that Peggy actually shared her log in credentials with her wife Tammy. The report reads that “this was a coordinated effort so Peggy could provide services to patients in person while her wife Tammy provided services over the phone”. Following this investigation, Peggy gave up her license and agreed that she would not apply for reinstatement, in addition to a civil penalty fee of $1,000. Brightside Health also reimbursed patients who were affected by this fraudulent scheme.
As disturbing as this behavior is, it is not uncommon in the world of telehealth therapy. Despite Brightside Health’s claim of taking numerous precautions to prevent situations like this, online platforms are highly susceptible to security breaches. If you are an online telehealth patient, then make sure you are thoughtful about which healthcare platform you use and who you choose to see. Your own due diligence can prevent something like this from happening to you.