Please note that I am not an approved provider with any of the insurance companies that cover mental health services. This is not because I would not be qualified to be an approved provider, but rather because being an approved provider involves accepting a whole variety of conditions and limitations that I am against. I believe that they can affect the substance and quality of the services I can provide to a patient.
Insurance companies, because of the details and practices of managed care, often attempt to dictate to approved providers a number of important components of treatment including, but not limited to, such things as how long a person should be in therapy, what kind of services should be provided to a patient, and which other professionals the approved provider should deal with. If you have insurance that provides coverage for mental health care/psychological services, you should check with the company to see if and how you can obtain coverage for my services. Typically, an insurance company will provide coverage of a non-approved provider at a rate lower than for an approved provider, if it allows payments to a non-approved provider at all. As a result, you may choose to work with a therapist that is an approved provider with your insurance company.
What I can do if you have insurance that does allow for payments to a non-approved provider is provide you with periodic billing statements that indicate the diagnosis, dates of treatment, proper insurance codes for such treatment, the amount charged and the amount that was paid. In this regard, you should note that, even if your insurance company will pay, at some reduced rate, some of my charges, not all items will be paid. While the company may pay, again at a reduced rate, for actual sessions, other related services (such as telephone calls, review of reports, discussions with other professionals, etc.) may not be covered. You should consult with your insurance company to understand exactly what is and is not covered and at what rates. One thing you should know is that while some insurance companies will pay for limited phone consultations between a therapist and the parents of a minor patient, they will not cover phone consultations between a therapist and other professionals such as psychiatrists, previous treating therapists, evaluating psychologists, school officials, etc. Again, you should consult in detail with your insurance company so that you have a comprehensive understanding of what is covered and what is not covered and at what rates.
*** If you are having a psychiatric emergency, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Do not attempt to access emergency care through this website. ***
