Fees and Insurance

  • My professional fees are based on a rate of $100 per 50-minute session. The exception to this is the initial assessment in the first session, for which the charge is $120.
  • A majority of my patients have their charges defrayed by their health insurance coverage. Insurance companies or managed care organizations (MCOs) have a negotiated rate they pay for therapy sessions, reduced by an amount covered by the patient, known as the co-payment or co-pay. The co-pay amount is anywhere from $10 to $50, usually in the lower half of that range, and is payable at the time of service. I collect the balance of my negotiated rate directly from the MCO. There are a score of variations on this theme, but this is the jist of most insurance coverage for mental health benefits.
  • Another form of  third party coverage is called an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Under such a plan with your employer, a person has a certain number of sessions (1-5 or more) available at no charge. In this case I receive my payment from the EAP company who holds the contract with the employer for this service. An EAP is a pre-insurance benefit. That is, it is prior to and independent of any insurance involvement in your mental health care. In this case, you pay nothing at the EAP sessions. I collect my entire fee from the EAP company.
  • A certain percentage of my patients come as self-pay clients, either because they are currently without insurance benefits, or because they elect to self-pay. This is usually because they are uncomfortable with having insurance companies learn about the fact that they are seeking care for behavioral health issues.
  • Appointments missed without notice or canceled within 24 hours of the scheduled time are subject to a late cancellation fee. Insurance companies and MCOs do not pay for missed appointments, so I do incur a loss for these. There is 24-hour telephone accessibility to my office for appointment cancellations.
  • Telephone calls that require extended counseling and/or prolonged discussion may be charged at my discretion, though I would discuss this with you ahead of time.