State places psychologist Laura Jean Petracek on probation for false records and billings

February 17, 2011

On August 23, 2010, the California Board of Psychology placed psychologist Laura Jean Petracek’s license on probation with terms and conditions.

The Board’s document states that in March 2006, Petracek was contracted as a member of the provider network of the Alameda County Behavioral Health Plan (ACBHP) of Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services (ACBHCS) to provide services to their clients.

In October 2006, an auditor from ACBHP/ACBHCS visited Petracek’s office and requested she make all of her charts available but she did not comply.  Later that month she produced her complete charts.

In January 2007, the ACBHCS sent Petracek written notice of its intent to revoke her privileges with the provider network.  In March 2007, the Board received a Health Facility Reporting Form from ACBHP/ACBHCS in which it was reported that Petracek’s membership in their network was terminated or revoked March 13, 2007 due to non-compliance, as evidenced by their audit finding.

The ACBHP/ACBHCS audit of Petracek’s claims over a five-month period between April 14, 2006 and September 14, 2007 revealed that she’d billed for clinical services for seven clients that were not actually provided.

It was also found that during that period, Petracek had created false records of therapy sessions for five clients that were not provided, among other things.

Source: Stipulated Settlement and Disciplinary Order in the Matter of the Accusation Against Laura Jean Petracek, Ph.D., Psychologist License No. PSY 20033, Case No. 1F 2007 185290, OAH No. 2010 060910, California Board of Psychology.