Fees & Policies
My services are private pay only. Fees are due by credit card at the time of the appointment. I do not contract directly with insurance companies, but do provide patients with a superbill that can be submitted to insurance companies for possible reimbursement. Whether or not you receive reimbursement will depend on your specific insurance plan. Insurance companies generally consider me an "out of network" provider. See below for more specific information on fees.
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Fight for Your Rights!
Due to the shortage of professionals with expertise in the evidence-based treatment of OCD, Severe Anxiety, Emetophobia, and BFRBs, you may be able to petition your insurance company to reimburse you for out of network services.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Fees and Insurance
How Much Does Treatment Cost?
Being an active, symptom-focused treatment approach, cognitive-behavior therapy often brings about more rapid results in much shorter time than more traditional “talk” therapy, which could drag on for years with little improvement. The overall cost of your treatment will vary according to several factors, including the severity of your problem.
Being an active, symptom-focused treatment approach, cognitive-behavior therapy often brings about more rapid results in much shorter time than more traditional “talk” therapy, which could drag on for years with little improvement. The overall cost of your treatment will vary according to several factors, including the severity of your problem.
You are more expensive than some other therapists in the area. Why?
It’s simple: because of the excellent results I achieve with our patients! These results reflect a high level of specialization, evidence-based treatment for OCD, OCD spectrum and anxiety disorders. By offering an outstanding level of treatment as well as excellent customer service, patients find excellent value for the fees I charge. Many find that it is more cost effective to pay more to receive this level of specialized treatment. As specialists, we I resolve long-standing, seemingly intractable problems in far fewer sessions and at far lower overall cost, than many sessions of less targeted and focused treatment from a “generalist” practitioner.
Does your office accept my insurance?
No, my office does not bill insurance companies for direct payment. I am considered out-of-network with insurance. Payment is due in full at the time of session in the form of credit card, debit card, or HSA card. Payment is processed on the secure patient portal and you will be able to view your invoices, superbills, and payment records under your own portal site.
I do not accept payment from insurance companies. After formulating a diagnosis, you can view and print receipts on your private portal to submit to your insurance for out-of-network reimbursement. After the deductible has been met, most insurance plans reimburse 60%-80% of the allowable amount for out-of-network mental health benefits. I have created this HANDOUT to assist you in obtaining reimbursement from your insurance company. It will be necessary for you to contact your insurance company to obtain specific information on how much you will be reimbursed. I can provide you with a “superbill” following each session that has all of the necessary information required to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement. Check your individual insurance plan for details.
I can assist in completing forms to verify diagnosis and services to submit to your insurance company, however, due to the time it takes to speak with individual insurance companies, I do not correspond with them by phone.
How do I find out how much my health insurance company will reimburse?
1. Call your health insurance company, either before or after your first visit, and have the following conversation:
a) Tell the person with whom you are speaking that you are seeing an “out-of-network” psychologist
b) Ask how much you will be reimburse for CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) Code 90791 (initial consultation) and follows up codes such as 90832, 90834 or 90837 (see more below).
c) Ask how much your annual deductible will be
d) Ask how many certified visits you have per calendar year
2. Submit an invoice, see how much reimbursement you receive, and read the enclosed E.O.B (Explanation of Benefits). Most health insurance companies are required by law either to pay the claim, or tell you why they are not going to pay, within 30 days, you may call your health insurance company and ask about the “status” of your claim.
4. You should then have all the information you need to know how much insurance reimbursement you can expect to receive for your treatment.
What are specific CPT codes I can ask my insurer about?
The initial intake appointment: 90791 typically 60 minutes. For treatment sessions: 90832 for 25 minutes, 90834 for 45 minutes, 90837 for 60 minutes. 90846 for school meetings or family therapy without the patient, 90847 for family therapy, including couples therapy, where the patient is present.
Why don’t you accept insurance?
Contracts with insurance company provider panels require that I charge fees for our services that are far below what is appropriate in order to provide the highest quality of care for my patients. In addition, insurance panel contracts limit the treatment options I can offer our patients, often to the disservice of the patient. Add in the fact that it is expensive to hire staff whose sole job is to chase insurance companies for reimbursement, and it makes accepting insurance payments even more unworkable. For these reasons, I have decided to run our practice independently of affiliation with insurance company provider panels. Our work together is under our control and not your insurance companies.
What if my insurance says I can’t be reimbursed for some of the services on my receipt?
Some of the services I provide such as: telephone and email consultation, report writing, observations, behavior plans, documentation requests, traveling for appointments out of office, and other non-direct patient care services are not typically reimbursed by insurance. You should consider these services as an out-of-pocket expense that might not be reimbursed by your insurance. This will be in writing before you start treatment and I will speak with you before providing these services so you are aware of charges before they occur.
Does your office accept Medicare or Medicaid or other government insurance plan?
No, I do not participate in these programs. If you are a Medicare recipient, you would need to pay out of pocket and I can provide you with a “superbill” to submit to Medicare for reimbursement.
Do You Have a Sliding Scale?
I do not have a formal sliding scale. However, after the initial evaluation, I may take into consideration the client’s individual hardship circumstances in setting the fee for ongoing treatment. I want to enable more OCD and anxiety sufferers to have access to my services, so will consider adjustments to fees on a on a case by case basis.
It’s simple: because of the excellent results I achieve with our patients! These results reflect a high level of specialization, evidence-based treatment for OCD, OCD spectrum and anxiety disorders. By offering an outstanding level of treatment as well as excellent customer service, patients find excellent value for the fees I charge. Many find that it is more cost effective to pay more to receive this level of specialized treatment. As specialists, we I resolve long-standing, seemingly intractable problems in far fewer sessions and at far lower overall cost, than many sessions of less targeted and focused treatment from a “generalist” practitioner.
Does your office accept my insurance?
No, my office does not bill insurance companies for direct payment. I am considered out-of-network with insurance. Payment is due in full at the time of session in the form of credit card, debit card, or HSA card. Payment is processed on the secure patient portal and you will be able to view your invoices, superbills, and payment records under your own portal site.
I do not accept payment from insurance companies. After formulating a diagnosis, you can view and print receipts on your private portal to submit to your insurance for out-of-network reimbursement. After the deductible has been met, most insurance plans reimburse 60%-80% of the allowable amount for out-of-network mental health benefits. I have created this HANDOUT to assist you in obtaining reimbursement from your insurance company. It will be necessary for you to contact your insurance company to obtain specific information on how much you will be reimbursed. I can provide you with a “superbill” following each session that has all of the necessary information required to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement. Check your individual insurance plan for details.
I can assist in completing forms to verify diagnosis and services to submit to your insurance company, however, due to the time it takes to speak with individual insurance companies, I do not correspond with them by phone.
How do I find out how much my health insurance company will reimburse?
1. Call your health insurance company, either before or after your first visit, and have the following conversation:
a) Tell the person with whom you are speaking that you are seeing an “out-of-network” psychologist
b) Ask how much you will be reimburse for CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) Code 90791 (initial consultation) and follows up codes such as 90832, 90834 or 90837 (see more below).
c) Ask how much your annual deductible will be
d) Ask how many certified visits you have per calendar year
2. Submit an invoice, see how much reimbursement you receive, and read the enclosed E.O.B (Explanation of Benefits). Most health insurance companies are required by law either to pay the claim, or tell you why they are not going to pay, within 30 days, you may call your health insurance company and ask about the “status” of your claim.
4. You should then have all the information you need to know how much insurance reimbursement you can expect to receive for your treatment.
What are specific CPT codes I can ask my insurer about?
The initial intake appointment: 90791 typically 60 minutes. For treatment sessions: 90832 for 25 minutes, 90834 for 45 minutes, 90837 for 60 minutes. 90846 for school meetings or family therapy without the patient, 90847 for family therapy, including couples therapy, where the patient is present.
Why don’t you accept insurance?
Contracts with insurance company provider panels require that I charge fees for our services that are far below what is appropriate in order to provide the highest quality of care for my patients. In addition, insurance panel contracts limit the treatment options I can offer our patients, often to the disservice of the patient. Add in the fact that it is expensive to hire staff whose sole job is to chase insurance companies for reimbursement, and it makes accepting insurance payments even more unworkable. For these reasons, I have decided to run our practice independently of affiliation with insurance company provider panels. Our work together is under our control and not your insurance companies.
What if my insurance says I can’t be reimbursed for some of the services on my receipt?
Some of the services I provide such as: telephone and email consultation, report writing, observations, behavior plans, documentation requests, traveling for appointments out of office, and other non-direct patient care services are not typically reimbursed by insurance. You should consider these services as an out-of-pocket expense that might not be reimbursed by your insurance. This will be in writing before you start treatment and I will speak with you before providing these services so you are aware of charges before they occur.
Does your office accept Medicare or Medicaid or other government insurance plan?
No, I do not participate in these programs. If you are a Medicare recipient, you would need to pay out of pocket and I can provide you with a “superbill” to submit to Medicare for reimbursement.
Do You Have a Sliding Scale?
I do not have a formal sliding scale. However, after the initial evaluation, I may take into consideration the client’s individual hardship circumstances in setting the fee for ongoing treatment. I want to enable more OCD and anxiety sufferers to have access to my services, so will consider adjustments to fees on a on a case by case basis.
