Psychiatry
FAQs

Cost/Length of Services

Medication management services typically have a much different level of frequency than therapy appointments. While therapy is often weekly, medication management varies significantly depending on where you are in your medication management treatment plan. Every individual is different, so it is impossible to know for sure what the frequency of medication management visits will be; however, an average follow-up plan is described below. It is rare to see your psychiatrist for medication management appointments weekly, and it is much more common to see them every 3-6 months once your medication regimen is stabilized. 

 

At the beginning of treatment, you and your TAP psychiatrist can discuss an approximate length of time to work together in order to have medication changes be made safely. Appointment frequency typically looks as follows:

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Early/establishing care OR Symptom increase/new medication - Every 1-6 weeks

Stabilized (recent) - Every 3-4 months

Stabilized (long-term) - Every 6 months

 

If your symptoms are worsening, you are having trouble functioning at home, school, or work, or you are having severe/significant side effects to your medication, this indicates that you need to meet your psychiatrist more frequently for follow-up visits. Your psychiatrist also may recommend more frequent follow-up visits if you have recently been in the hospital or there have been recent or current concerns about your safety.

Psychiatry Fees:

Initial intake appointment (90 minutes) - $400

Follow-up appointment (30 minutes) - $190

Complex follow-up appointment (45 minutes) - $300

 

Once you or your child are on a stable dose of a medication or medications that is/are helpful and symptoms have improved or resolved, your TAP psychiatrist can discuss decreasing frequency of follow-up visits. Once your symptoms have significantly improved or resolved for a period of months to years, we consider your symptoms and condition as “stabilized.” Some patients and families prefer to continue working with a psychiatrist in case symptoms return. Others prefer transferring care to a primary care doctor, their child’s pediatrician, or an in-network psychiatric prescriber with your insurance once symptoms are stabilized. Your TAP psychiatrist will request from you a signed release of information for you or your child’s longstanding or new provider to let them know the current care plan and what changes have been made to medications and treatment during your care at TAP Clinic.

 

Lastly, there are additional services available to you that are included in the above cost. For example, the below services are available to you between your session at no additional cost to you:

 

1. Detailed treatment summaries of each visit sent to your Patient Portal

2. The ability to contact your psychiatrist directly via Patient Portal regarding symptom updates and question (Please note that complicated answers, large changes in treatment plan, or discussion related to controlled substances must be done via appointment only)

3. Your psychiatrist will reach out and coordinate your care with other members of your treatment team 

Psychiatric Consultation Appointments

It is possible to see a TAP psychiatrist for consultation appointments rather than for ongoing care. Seeing a psychiatrist can help you or your child receive an expert recommendation on your medications and treatment plan. 

 

A psychiatric consultation is when a patient meets with a TAP psychiatrist for a second opinion on diagnosis or treatment recommendations. Patients who are seeking a consultation typically already have a prescriber (primary care provider, a different psychiatrist, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant) who is managing their medications. A consultation can be helpful if there is a need for expert guidance on your care. After one to two consultation appointments with a TAP psychiatrist, you would return to your previous prescriber for ongoing mental health care.

 

Key differences in a consultation and establishment of long-term care are:

• The plan is to return as soon as possible to previous, in-network or primary care provider

• Short-term financial investment rather than an ongoing one 

• You receive a treatment plan from a consultation appointment which will be implemented by your in-network or primary care provider rather you or your child entering into long-term ongoing psychiatric care from a TAP psychiatrist 

 

Consultation Appointment Type:

Initial consultation appointment (90 minutes) - $400

Follow-up consultation appointment (30 minutes) - $190

Complex follow-up consultation appointment (45 minutes) - $300

 

On average, consultations always include one initial consultation appointment. Depending on case complexity and needs of the patient/family, this may include 1-2 additional consultations. which are typically 30-minute follow-up consultation appointments. 

 

What to Expect in an Initial 90-Minute Appointment

Your TAP psychiatrist will ask about your or your child’s:

1. Current symptoms

2. Past medical history (past surgeries, past medical diagnoses, allergies, etc.)

3. Past mental health treatment history

4. Social history (childhood, current support system, school or work/employment, etc.)

5. Family history (i.e., what mental health conditions have been diagnosed in other family members)

6. Substance use history

7. Developmental history

 

Your TAP psychiatrist will use all this information to discuss what may be going on, diagnoses, and recommend a treatment plan. 

 

The key difference between a psychiatrist and therapist intake is that your TAP psychiatrist will ask much more detailed questions about your family history, medical history, your past medication trials, allergies, your past surgeries, and hospitalizations in order to inform their decision-making regarding a treatment plan and medication recommendations for you.