Social worker surrenders license after wife impersonates her

A Florida social worker has surrendered her license after an investigation revealed her wife was impersonating her and treating patients using an online mental health platform.

According to a Florida Department of Health investigative report and online health department records, Peggy A. Randolph was a licensed clinical social worker in Ellenton, about 20 miles northeast of Sarasota.

She also held a social worker license in Tennessee, according to records and online documents filed with the state Social Worker Licensing Board.

When Randolph was reported, she was working for Brightside Health, an online mental health platform, between January 2021 and February 2023. During that time, she provided services to hundreds of clients via video call, according to official documents.

Patient Discovers Identity Theft After Social Worker’s Wife Dies

Randolph took bereavement leave after the death of his wife, Tammy G. Heath-Randolph. It was at this time that Randolph’s patient reported that she had been treated by the deceased woman and not by the social worker herself.

The patient who reported the situation provided a photo of herself talking to Randolph’s wife during a session. When Brightside Health began an investigation and confronted Randolph, the social worker denied that the patient had been treated by his wife.

Randolph eventually admitted that it was his wife seen in the photo treating the patient and said that his wife, Heath-Randolph, suffered from “uncontrolled bipolar disorder” which may have led her to see patients behind the social worker’s back.

When Brightside Health began investigating the case, the company learned that Randolph’s wife had been seeing patients for some time, according to a report filed with the Florida Department of Health.

“This was a coordinated effort so that Randolph could provide services to patients in person while (his wife) provided services by telephone,” the report reads.

According to documents filed in Tennessee, Randolph was paid for the sessions his wife attended.

“Brightside Health conducted an internal investigation and determined that (Randolph) shared his login credentials with (his wife),” the report reads. Brightside Health fired Randolph on Feb. 28, 2023, and the social worker later chose to revoke her license.

Brightside Health notified police of the situation on April 17, 2023.

Randolph could not be reached for comment, but documents filed in Tennessee show Randolph agreed not to seek reinstatement of her license. She must also pay a $1,000 civil penalty.

Mental health company reimburses patients for impacted treatments

Brightside Health said in a statement to USA TODAY that Randolph was an independent contractor on the platform, as well as other mental health sites.

The company said it takes precautions to avoid such situations, including conducting interviews, background checks and license verification. The company also said it revalidates the licenses of all its health care professionals.

Once Brightside Health discovered the allegations against Randolph and his wife, the company removed his access to corporate systems and terminated his contract.

Brightside Health also said:

Reassigning Randolph patients to new healthcare professionals
Reported the case to federal authorities
He reported Randolph to professional licensing boards.
Conducting a full security audit

The company also said it notified the Office for Civil Rights of a potential HIPAA violation and also contacted patients in writing and by phone.

The company said it had also issued refunds for potentially related sessions and notified insurers.

“The alleged conduct would constitute a breach of Randolph’s contractual agreement with Brightside and a violation of its code of business ethics,” the company said in the written statement.

“We are extremely disappointed that a single provider was willing to betray the trust that Brightside and, more importantly, its patients had placed in it, as trust is the foundation of the patient-provider relationship, both in telehealth and in-person care.”

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She hails from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at @SaleenMartin or send him an email at [email protected].