APPIC 2025-2026 Interview Thread and Sheet

[abcdeltaforce]

Hello everyone! As we continue our process of determining where to throw our application money, I wanted to share this cycle's Google sheet for people to add their site-specific info and questions! The link was provided in the depths of another thread so I wanted to make it easier to find.

Link:
APPIC 25-26 Interview Sheet

Don't forget, if you want to remain anonymous make sure you're not signed into your Google account and/or that you're using incognito browsing.
Please do not delete any data or info within the sheet if you were not the one who added it.

Additionally, I wanted to create a new thread for this year's application cycle. Good luck everyone! 🙂

Edited to add: Please remember to take everything in this sheet with a grain of salt. It should not be used to slander or otherwise provide false information to future interns, and it should also not be used as a sole source for determining internship site fit. It is subjectively useful at best, and anonymous internet gossip at worst. Use your own reasoning skills before making any decisions based off of the info within 🙂

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[hotdogcity]

Hey, did something happen to the sheet? I am not able to edit it anymore

 

[RxPsych]

Hey, did something happen to the sheet? I am not able to edit it anymore

I think the owner locked it. Someone was deleting all the tabs and information, either out of jealousy or sadism (though those are not mutually exclusive). It is unfortunate that they are doing that, as the sheet provides useful information for timeframes regarding interview invites, prior interview questions, general support, etc. It never ceases to amaze me how selfish some people can be.

 

[PsychPsychBaby]

Posting this here because I do not care about being anonymous - DO NOT under any circumstances rank or match I Ola Lahui in Honolulu. For the past 3 years they have continuously hidden from APPIC their egregious misconduct, not following APPIC accreditation standards, and retaliated against interns who are requesting support. I'm speaking from personal experience/knowledge of people who have been there. APPIC has been contacted about this conduct, but no formal investigation has been started due to past/current interns being worried about retaliation. Just an FYI - spread the word.

 

[WisNeuro]

So, what exactly have they been hiding, and what standards are they not following?

 

[PsychPsychBaby]

Some examples of their misconduct include not honoring ADA requests that have proper documentation and retaliating against those who request those supports, not providing licensed supervision (either by not offering 2 full hours of licensed supervision as required by APPIC or offering unlicensed supervision), screaming/yelling/making verbally aggressive statements at interns, having an inaccurate description of their site on the APPIC listing/falsely advertising and/or exaggerating opportunities (such as group supervision) at the site, monitoring/being close by during intern Q+As with applicants so interns can’t speak freely…there’s a lot more but that’s just a couple of things.

 

[WisNeuro]

Can you verify these things, or is there any corroboration? You've had some issues with misinformation in the past, so it's hard to judge accuracy here.

 

[PsychPsychBaby]

We can agree to disagree on that last point 😅 but yes I do, I have my own documentation from being on internship there and then text messages/other forms of contact from other interns as well (across several years, so that puts it at like 7+ corroborating stories). Obviously without their consent I don’t feel comfortable sharing their perspectives, but if you are interested in seeing the documentation I have then feel free to PM me - I don’t think there is a way for me to share things here (and not sure I’d feel comfortable since this is a public forum). I have emails requesting for licensed supervision, and noting of the many weeks when supervision was canceled and I therefore either did not have licensed supervision or only had 1 hour. I’ve also spoken to Greg from APPIC about these issues, but I believe they have a confidentiality practice for interns reporting misconduct, so not sure if that will be of much help for corroborating the things I’ve said. I also have notes expanding the entire time I was on internship, outlining the many times I requested licensed supervision/witnessed misconduct. I also have text messages with supervisors demonstrating they came to session too late that may have impacted billing (we were told by faculty that Hawai’i requires that licensed supervisors are in the therapy room for the duration of the code you are billing, so attending session for 2 minutes does not equal a 90832), indicating possible insurance fraud - but this I'm not sure of, it just was contradictory to what they told us was required of them, therefore raised some ethical concerns I had, and so I thought I would mention it. In short, yes I have receipts.

 

[PsychPsychBaby]

I’m not sure if any of the interns who can corroborate these things are on SDN, though, and if they were I can’t speak to their comfort levels with commenting, unfortunately.

 

[psych.meout]

I'm a bit confused. You said earlier that "no formal investigation has been started due to past/current interns being worried about retaliation," but if you're a former intern there and have spoken with APPIC, then why wouldn't they have done an investigation?

 

[WisNeuro]

We can agree to disagree on that last point but yes I do, I have my own documentation from being on internship there and then text messages/other forms of contact from other interns as well (across several years, so that puts it at like 7+ corroborating stories). Obviously without their consent I don’t feel comfortable sharing their perspectives, but if you are interested in seeing the documentation I have then feel free to PM me - I don’t think there is a way for me to share things here (and not sure I’d feel comfortable since this is a public forum). I have emails requesting for licensed supervision, and noting of the many weeks when supervision was canceled and I therefore either did not have licensed supervision or only had 1 hour. I’ve also spoken to Greg from APPIC about these issues, but I believe they have a confidentiality practice for interns reporting misconduct, so not sure if that will be of much help for corroborating the things I’ve said. I also have notes expanding the entire time I was on internship, outlining the many times I requested licensed supervision/witnessed misconduct. I also have text messages with supervisors demonstrating they came to session too late to bill properly (Hawai’i requires that licensed supervisors are in the therapy room for the duration of the code you are billing, so attending session for 2 minutes does not equal a 90832), indicating possible insurance fraud. In short, yes I have receipts

Which statute/policy are you referencing here?

 

[PsychPsychBaby]

I'm a bit confused. You said earlier that "no formal investigation has been started due to past/current interns being worried about retaliation," but if you're a former intern there and have spoken with APPIC, then why wouldn't they have done an investigation?

APPIC has options for reporting - you can either just contact them for advice on what to do, make a request for an informal report (has no documentation), or do a formal report where the complaint is documented and investigated. So no formal report has been made that follows those procedures outlined by APPIC

 

[PsychPsychBaby]

Which statute/policy are you referencing here?

Here is the provider's guide from Hawai'i: on page 33 it mentions that fraud and abuse can include "up coding" where "Provider provides services at one level and bills AMHD for a higher level of service"

Also, the bill is SB2243, which states (specifically about post-docs, it looks like): "Services provided by an associate psychologist shall be eligible for insurance reimbursement in the same manner that the supervising licensed psychologist's services would be eligible for reimbursement as a contracted provider; provided that the billed rate for the licensed associate psychologist shall be commensurate with the requisite level of training"

SB2243

SB1444 discusses provisional licenses, also. I think there might be more statutes in Hawai'i regarding this, also, but this is what I could find on limited time to reply.

Here is the policy from APPIC (number 4) about required number of licensed supervision hours per week: "...Regularly scheduled individual supervision is provided by one or more doctoral level licensed psychologists, at a ratio of no less than one hour of supervision for every 20 internship hours..."

Internship Membership Criteria

Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers, Postdoc Interns, Psychology Internships, Psych Internship Matching - APPIC

www.appic.org

 

[WisNeuro]

Here is the provider's guide from Hawai'i: on page 33 it mentions that fraud and abuse can include "up coding" where "Provider provides services at one level and bills AMHD for a higher level of service"

Also, the bill is SB2243, which states (specifically about post-docs, it looks like): "Services provided by an associate psychologist shall be eligible for insurance reimbursement in the same manner that the supervising licensed psychologist's services would be eligible for reimbursement as a contracted provider; provided that the billed rate for the licensed associate psychologist shall be commensurate with the requisite level of training"

SB2243

SB1444 discusses provisional licenses, also. I think there might be more statutes in Hawai'i regarding this, also, but this is what I could find on limited time to reply.

Here is the policy from APPIC (number 4) about required number of licensed supervision hours per week: "...Regularly scheduled individual supervision is provided by one or more doctoral level licensed psychologists, at a ratio of no less than one hour of supervision for every 20 internship hours..."

Internship Membership Criteria

Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers, Postdoc Interns, Psychology Internships, Psych Internship Matching - APPIC

www.appic.org

I was asking about the Hawaii policy that you stated that mandated a supervisor be physically in the room during the provision of services.

 

[PsychPsychBaby]

I was asking about the Hawaii policy that you stated that mandated a supervisor be physically in the room during the provision of services.

Ah apologies, I didn't see the bolding you did. When I say "physically present," given COVID and telehealth policies, I believe (but am not certain) that supervisors can be virtually present to count. My statement on being physically present wasn't clear: physically present in this context means present in some way during the actual session to oversee/provide care, but I believe policies have shifted because of telehealth changes and those telehealth changes I'm not exactly sure on. I'm not a lawyer nor super well-versed in Hawai'i laws, but am doing the best I can to provide transparency and info here!

Here is a document about Medicaid specifically, outlining that supervisors must be present to bill for sessions: https://medquest.hawaii.gov/content/medquest/en/archive/PDFs/Provider Memos/ACSMEMO2012/ACS M12-01.pdf

Direct supervision is required for psychology trainees (doesn't specify about during encounters of services, though): "'Direct supervision'" means that the supervisor shall be present in the same building as the person being supervised and available for consultation and assistance."

https://health.hawaii.gov/opppd/files/2015/06/11-96.pdf

In general, this policy is explored under 1444 where it differentiates between direct supervision and clinical supervision, such that: "The provisional licensee or licensed associate psychologist shall only practice psychology under the direct supervision of the licensed psychologist having a current, active, and unencumbered license issued by the board."

Clinical supervision under the statute is defined as:
"'Clinical supervision' means supervision applied to all individuals who are gaining the experience required for a license as a mental health counselor[.] or associate mental health counselor. 'Clinical supervision' includes but is not limited to:

(1) Case consultation on the assessment and presenting problem;

(2) Development and implementation of treatment plans;

(3) Enhancement of the supervisee's counseling techniques and treatment evaluation skills; and

(4) Evaluation of the course of treatment."

Hawaii-2023-HB776-Introduced

Several insurance companies therefore interpret this to mean that services are only billable if the licensed supervisor is in the room (see Medicaid above): here's is HMSA's (Hawai'i BCBS) policy: https://prc.hmsa.com/s/article/mental-health-services-performed-by-interns
"HMSA does not provide coverage for mental health services rendered by individuals who are unlicensed or practicing under an intern, trainee, or similar status, even if they are supervised by a licensed health professional. All mental health services must meet payment determination criteria and be provided by a licensed and credentialed provider, with a valid NPI and active HMSA provider ID, in order to qualify for coverage."

I hope this answers your question! Again, I'm not a lawyer nor an expert in Hawai'i policies so it is highly likely that I am missing some to fully answer your question, however while on internship at IOL we were told by faculty that in order for services to be billed for the appropriate CPT code, the licensed supervisor had to be present during session.

 

[WisNeuro]

Ah apologies, I didn't see the bolding you did. When I say "physically present," given COVID and telehealth policies, I believe (but am not certain) that supervisors can be virtually present to count. My statement on being physically present wasn't clear: physically present in this context means present in some way during the actual session to oversee/provide care, but I believe policies have shifted because of telehealth changes and those telehealth changes I'm not exactly sure on. I'm not a lawyer nor super well-versed in Hawai'i laws, but am doing the best I can to provide transparency and info here!

Here is a document about Medicaid specifically, outlining that supervisors must be present to bill for sessions: https://medquest.hawaii.gov/content/medquest/en/archive/PDFs/Provider Memos/ACSMEMO2012/ACS M12-01.pdf

Direct supervision is required for psychology trainees (doesn't specify about during encounters of services, though): "'Direct supervision'" means that the supervisor shall be present in the same building as the person being supervised and available for consultation and assistance."

https://health.hawaii.gov/opppd/files/2015/06/11-96.pdf

In general, this policy is explored under 1444 where it differentiates between direct supervision and clinical supervision, such that: "The provisional licensee or licensed associate psychologist shall only practice psychology under the direct supervision of the licensed psychologist having a current, active, and unencumbered license issued by the board."

Clinical supervision under the statute is defined as:
"'Clinical supervision' means supervision applied to all individuals who are gaining the experience required for a license as a mental health counselor[.] or associate mental health counselor. 'Clinical supervision' includes but is not limited to:

(1) Case consultation on the assessment and presenting problem;

(2) Development and implementation of treatment plans;

(3) Enhancement of the supervisee's counseling techniques and treatment evaluation skills; and

(4) Evaluation of the course of treatment."

Hawaii-2023-HB776-Introduced

Several insurance companies therefore interpret this to mean that services are only billable if the licensed supervisor is in the room (see Medicaid above): here's is HMSA's (Hawai'i BCBS) policy: https://prc.hmsa.com/s/article/mental-health-services-performed-by-interns
"HMSA does not provide coverage for mental health services rendered by individuals who are unlicensed or practicing under an intern, trainee, or similar status, even if they are supervised by a licensed health professional. All mental health services must meet payment determination criteria and be provided by a licensed and credentialed provider, with a valid NPI and active HMSA provider ID, in order to qualify for coverage."

I hope this answers your question! Again, I'm not a lawyer nor an expert in Hawai'i policies so it is highly likely that I am missing some to fully answer your question, however while on internship at IOL we were told by faculty that in order for services to be billed for the appropriate CPT code, the licensed supervisor had to be present during session.

This does not answer my question. You charged that because the supervisor was not in the same room, they were committing billing fraud. I was curious as to where the documents specify that the supervisor must be in the same room, as opposed to onsite/available. Also, do you know how that BCBS policy plays with HMSA's Incident to billing policy "HMSA follows CMS guidelines for “incident to” services."?

 

[PsychPsychBaby]

This does not answer my question. You charged that because the supervisor was not in the same room, they were committing billing fraud. I was curious as to where the documents specify that the supervisor must be in the same room, as opposed to onsite/available. Also, do you know how that BCBS policy plays with HMSA's Incident to billing policy "HMSA follows CMS guidelines for “incident to” services."?

Ah I see the confusion, my original statement mentioned that supervisors were not in session for the amount of time that they were billing for (e.g. being in session for 2 minutes for billing for 16+ minutes as stated in 90832) and faculty themselves stated this was needed to bill so it raises some concerns about possible billing fraud (but again, I'm not sure on this), not that since they weren't in the room they were engaging in fraud.

I unfortunately only have limited information on the legal side of things/insurance policies, so I'm not really able to answer those questions more fully to completely answer your question, because I just don't know 🤷‍♀️. I've tried my best, with the knowledge and experience I have, to express the concerning behavior that has been present at IOL for several years, in the hopes that future applicants can take this information and do what they will with it - it is up to them, but I just wanted to do my due diligence so that applicants can be fully informed to make the best decision for themselves.

 

[WisNeuro]

Ah I see the confusion, my original statement mentioned that supervisors were not in session for the amount of time that they were billing for (e.g. being in session for 2 minutes for billing for 16+ minutes as stated in 90832) which is possible billing fraud, not that since they weren't in the room they were engaging in fraud.

I unfortunately only have limited information on the legal side of things/insurance policies, so I'm not really able to answer those questions more fully to completely answer your question, because I just don't know 🤷‍♀️. I've tried my best, with the knowledge and experience I have, to express the concerning behavior that has been present at IOL for several years, in the hopes that future applicants can take this information and do what they will with it - it is up to them, but I just wanted to do my due diligence so that applicants can be fully informed to make the best decision for themselves.

That's not really how billing/incident to billing works, they are not billing the time that they are supervising, they are billing the services provided. I would be very careful about carelessly throwing around allegations of federal felonies without pretty form proof. Especially publishing such information on a public website.

 

[PsychPsychBaby]

That's not really how billing/incident to billing works, they are not billing the time that they are supervising, they are billing the services provided. I would be very careful about carelessly throwing around allegations of federal felonies without pretty form proof. Especially publishing such information on a public website.

Correct, so some insurances in HI state that billing must come from the provider being present/engaging in services (so this would sometimes mean they would say nothing if interns were doing well, or they would join in on the conversation) in order to bill. IOL views providers being present/engaged in session as licensed supervision, so my wording may be confusing. I have text messages proving that that did oftentimes not occur, as providers would show up to session too late to be able to bill for 90832, which is the code we were told to bill for hour-long sessions that interns primarily led.

Again, these statements I'm making are to protect future applicants. They are welcome to do what they want with it/make the best decisions for themselves!

 

[WisNeuro]

Correct, so some insurances in HI state that billing must come from the provider being present/engaging in services (so this would sometimes mean they would say nothing if interns were doing well, or they would join in on the conversation and provide services) in order to bill. IOL views providers being present/engaged in session as licensed supervision, so my wording may be confusing. I have text messages proving that that did oftentimes not occur, as providers would show up to session too late to be able to bill for 90832, which is the code we were told to bill for hour-long sessions that interns primarily led.

Again, these statements I'm making are to protect future applicants. They are welcome to do what they want with it/make the best decisions for themselves!

But, you haven't yet provided any documents/statements that state the provider needs to be present within the room for the provision of services to be billed in relation to incident to services that would justify an allegation of billing fraud.

 

[PsychPsychBaby]

But, you haven't yet provided any documents/statements that state the provider needs to be present within the room for the provision of services to be billed in relation to incident to services that would justify an allegation of billing fraud.

The Medicaid document does! I am unable to copy/paste it, but it's on the last page in the last paragraph of the document. Also, the HMSA statement, in that "all mental health services must meet payment determination criteria and be provided by a licensed and credentialed provider."

That's kind of the extent of my knowledge with policies, unfortunately! Sorry I can't be of more help.

Good luck to all applicants as they enter rank/match season!

 

[WisNeuro]

The Medicaid document does! I am unable to copy/paste it, but it's on the last page in the last paragraph of the document. Also, the HMSA statement, in that "all mental health services must meet payment determination criteria and be provided by a licensed and credentialed provider."

That's kind of the extent of my knowledge with policies, unfortunately! Sorry I can't be of more help.

Good luck to all applicants as they enter rank/match season!

Yes, and I inquired about the HMSA statement regarding incident to billing services. Also I do not believe that the document that you linked says what you believe it does.

 

[WisNeuro]

Also, I am curious if you looked at anything beyond the 2012 document for backup to your claims, as CMS has made MANY changes to guidance. For example "CMS has also finalized changes to promote access to behavioral health for underserved communities. We have changed the required level of supervision for behavioral health services performed at federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to allow for “general” supervision rather than “direct” supervision."

 

[PsychPsychBaby]

Also, I am curious if you looked at anything beyond the 2012 document for backup to your claims, as CMS has made MANY changes to guidance. For example "CMS has also finalized changes to promote access to behavioral health for underserved communities. We have changed the required level of supervision for behavioral health services performed at federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to allow for “general” supervision rather than “direct” supervision."

Good questions. Unfortunately I don’t have too much info about these things, all I know for sure (and what I did my best to find in statutes to support, but may have missed the mark since it seems that I haven’t answered your Qs) is what we were told on internship as policy/law by faculty who have more experience with those things than I do, and then my observance of them not following their own statements on these policies.

I do stand by the things that I've said, because again it is based on my personal experiences there. I do not claim to be an expert on policies, and stated that it was possible fraud/misconduct regarding billing, not for sure. I could be wrong, but again I am basing this off of the things that faculty themselves told me. Hope this helps!

 

[WisNeuro]

Good questions. Unfortunately I don’t have too much info about these things, all I know for sure (and what I did my best to find in statutes to support, but may have missed the mark since it seems that I haven’t answered your Qs) is what we were told on internship as policy/law by faculty who have more experience with those things than I do, and then my observance of them not following their own statements on these policies. Hope this helps!

It does not at all. All it tells me is that you are accusing an entity, publicly, of a federal felony, without any real proof. That's a very serious charge, that, if untrue by the letter of the law, could seriously damage reputation and open oneself up to great liability. Is that what you are doing in this instance?

 

[PsychPsychBaby]

It does not at all. All it tells me is that you are accusing an entity, publicly, of a federal felony, without any real proof. That's a very serious charge, that, if untrue by the letter of the law, could seriously damage reputation and open oneself up to great liability. Is that what you are doing in this instance?

It is not what I am attempting to do, as I've stated that I have text messages/documentation demonstrating everything that I have stated/my experience! I'm not sure if what they are doing is fraud, as I stated it was only possible and did not state it was for sure happening. But regardless, I think transparency is key and so I've commented on this post to help provide some transparency on what the experience really is like that was not offered to me/others that participated in internship there.