Psychologist Fees

With managed care, you must call to request authorization to see a therapist. If your plan is an HMO, your treatment options are the most limited. You are required to see a provider on their particular panel. Sessions are parceled out in small numbers (for example, BCBS Health Options gives 3 sessions initially then the therapist must fill out paperwork to “request” more.) Treatment planning is conducted by a managed care “case manager” with cost containment in mind. The “case manager”, who has never seen you, and may have no mental health training, will decide whether treatment is authorized. The voluminous paperwork and low fees are a deterrent for successful therapists to participate on these panels. Other deterrents for therapists include pressure from the managed care company to restrict the number of visits provided, and a limited number of TOTAL annual sessions (commonly, 20 per year are allowed). That means that the managed care company will dictate your treatment, WHICH MAY NOT BE by the best standards of practice.

In summary, the advantages of seeing a provider within your managed care network have hidden costs in terms of the experience and quality of your therapist, and his or her autonomy in providing the best treatment for your problems.

In our office we provide assistance with Billing from our professional Medical Biller. We are equipped to handle all questions and will conduct the research, follow up and all necessary paper work to allow you to understand and obtain benefits from your insurance provider.