Rates
Initial telephone consultation is free. Please call for current hourly rates for a psychological evaluation. The cost of an evaluation includes all the time spent, including face to face time with you, relevant telephone contact/consults, review of records, scoring of testing materials, analysis of the findings, report writing, and communicating with third parties.
The “average” psychological evaluation is estimated to take anywhere from 6 to 10 hours, although, of course, this will vary by individual situation. Some evaluations take only an hour or two, while others can take up to 20 hours depending upon the complexity of the presenting concern. During the phone consultation and at our first meeting, I will estimate for you the expected time to complete the evaluation.
A 50% deposit of the estimated full cost of the evaluation is required at the first appointment. The balance, corrected for the actual cost of the evaluation determined by time spent, is due at our final meeting. A preliminary copy of the assessment report will also be provided at the final meeting in most cases. You will have a final report within 15 business days of our final meeting, in most cases.
Payment Method
I accept cash, checks, and credit cards. The credit card processing service that I use is HIPAA and PCI compliant.
Insurance
I do not participate with insurance carriers. I will provide you with documentation of treatment that you may submit to your insurance company for reimbursement if you choose.
Will my insurance cover the cost of a psychological evaluation?
Many people have had success in obtaining reimbursement from their health insurance provider to cover the cost of a psychological evaluation. However every insurance plan is different, so you will need to contact them to find out what costs, if any, your particular plan will cover. Below are some questions you can ask your insurance carrier to help you determine if they will help you pay for a psychological evaluation.
- Does my insurance plan offer reimbursement for psychological evaluations? (Sometimes they ask for “Procedure Codes” (also known as CPT codes). The relevant procedure codes for psychological evaluations are: 90791, 96136, 96137, 96130 and 96131.)
- Are there limits on this coverage? (Your insurance company may reimburse up to a certain dollar amount, or they may reimburse for a certain dollar amount per hour, or for a limited number of hours of care.)
- Are there any diagnostic exclusions on this coverage? (Insurance plans may require that a psychological evaluation be determined by them to be “medically necessary”. Referral questions about educational or vocational functioning may not meet their definition of “medically necessary” care, for example, and therefore those referral questions would be “excluded” from reimbursement. Or, they may not cover for diagnoses that they believe can be established without a full psychological evaluation.)
- Do you reimburse for evaluations that are provided by out-of-network providers? Are there any limitations on who may be an out-of-network provider? (I would be considered an out-of-network provider.)
- Is pre-authorization required? If so, what is the process for obtaining this pre-authorization?
- Do I have a deductible for out-of-network care? If so, has it been met? Does my policy have a maximum amount I will pay “out-of-pocket”? When does my deductible “reset”? (In most cases, deductibles are assessed on an annual basis, so the amount you have paid toward your deductible resets to “0” at the beginning of each calendar year.)
- Is a referral for psychological evaluation required from my doctor?
Cancellations
There is no charge for a cancellation that occurs up to 24 hours before an appointment is scheduled. There is a one hour fee for cancellations that occur within 24 hours of your scheduled appointment time.