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Our Office Policies

What does treatment involve?

Our work together begins with a 60-minute intake assessment session in which we ask about the problems and concerns that bring you to our office, and learn about your or your child’s developmental, medical, social, and educational history. We may take additional sessions (usually not more than 3) to get to know your situation in more detail before we make our initial diagnosis (if appropriate) and work with you to put together a treatment plan. The treatment plan helps us create the initial goals of therapy, determine whether you will participate in family and/or individual therapy, and discuss the recommended frequency of therapy. Subsequent psychotherapy appointments are typically 45–50 minutes long. Our clients typically attend 6–10 sessions in order to reach their goals.

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How can I prepare for the first session?

Please feel free to give us a call at (714) 696-1385 or email us at cabhc@ca-bhc.com to request a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation so that we can talk about what brings you to therapy and answer any questions you may have. Once you decide to make the appointment for the intake assessment, we will ask you to complete the intake paperwork and review the information in the forms. Some clients find it helpful to jot down questions or important information they want to bring up during the first appointment.  

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One important step in preparing for the first session is to call your insurance and verify that we are in-network (Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Center, Tax ID 83-0576172). Sometimes your mental health insurance isn't the same as your medical insurance! For example, your health benefits may be through Anthem but your mental health benefits might be carved out to another insurer. So it makes sense to check that we really are in-network for you! It also makes sense to check that the procedures we typically bill for ("CPT codes ") are covered. These CPT codes are 90791, 90847, 90846, 90834, and 90837. 

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Which insurance companies does CABHC accept?

We are in-network with Anthem (Blue Cross California), Aetna (with the exception of CHIPA and certain Aetna HMO plans), Cigna, UnitedHealthcare (Optum), HMC HealthWorks, and Tricare. (However, we do not work with EAP plans, even those provided by these companies.)

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We are out-of-network for Blue Shield of California, which is a separate company from Anthem Blue Cross of California. (Yes, it's confusing! In most states, Blue Cross and Blue Shield are the same company. If your insurance card says "Blue Cross and Blue Shield" on it, then we are in-network for you. If your card says only "Blue Shield" on it, we are out-of-network.)

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Because we are out-of-network for Blue Shield, we are out-of-network for the Federal Employees Health Plan (FEHP). FEHP members in California can only access their mental health benefits through Blue Shield. 

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We are also out-of-network for Health Net (a.k.a. MHN).

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What are your fees? What is the procedure for making payments?

Following the complimentary 15-minute phone consultation, our fees are $300 for an intake assessment (which typically runs about 60 minutes) and $200 for each psychotherapy appointment (typically 45–50 minutes). The fees include time spent preparing for the session, reviewing any records, and writing clinical documentation. (For information on psychological testing services, please see the next FAQ topic.)

 

If you are using insurance benefits, the amount you pay will depend on your specific insurance plan. The Insurance Addendum in the initial paperwork packet goes over information related to insurance.

 

Fees for services are paid before the services are performed. If you decide that our fees are not affordable for you, we are always happy to refer you to lower-cost services. We are confident that our services are worth your investment.

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We accept cash, check, or major credit cards (including HSA/FSA payment cards). Checks should be made payable to CABHC. 

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Clients who do not use their insurance benefits are entitled to a "Good Faith Estimate" of expected charges. Please click here for details. 

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What are the fees for psychological testing? 

The CABHC doctors personally complete all assessments; we do not utilize undergraduate or graduate-level psychometrists or psychological assistants.  We provide a more personal service and tailored assessments.  When you compare our prices to other practices, you will likely discover that our services are more affordable. 

  • Charges are based on age of the child and focus of the assessment.

  • All psychoeducational, autism, and developmental delay assessments include:

    1.  an intake session with parents/guardians (approximately 1 hour)

    2.  all testing sessions necessary

    3.  a feedback session with parents/guardians to review written results and discuss recommendations (approximately 45 minutes)

  • A superbill will be provided for clients’ submission to insurance companies for self-filing claims. 

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Please note that some insurance companies do not cover psychological testing for developmental delays or learning issues, as they deem these services "educational" rather than "medical," even if the provider is "in-network." Insurance companies only pay for things that are "medically necessary." This means that someone HAS to diagnose you with a mental health disorder AND prove that it is impacting your health on a day-to-day basis. Fortunately, many parents seek treatment before their child’s issue would meet criteria for diagnosis as a mental health disorder. Your insurance company will tell you, “A quote for benefits does not guarantee payment…” This means that you can be told over the phone that something is covered, be given an authorization number, and still be denied once they review the diagnosis.  Another issue is that we have learned over the years that preapprovals involve the staff of the insurance company "granting permission" for each and every individual test that we feel we need to administer, prior to our starting testing.  So it's very important for you to be as sure as you can that everything we do will be covered! We tailor our assessments to your child and the referral question, so we frequently change our test battery after we start working with and getting to know your child, rather than administering the same tests to each client. This individualized approach does not fit with the insurance preapproval process. Lastly, we are typically required to give a mental health diagnosis/code in order to receive reimbursement. 

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Autism/Developmental Delays– $2,000
  • Assessments typically include comprehensive intelligence testing, assessment of adaptive/daily living skills, behavioral/social skills assessment, evaluation of verbal and nonverbal communication skills, screening of motor skills, screening of academic/pre-academic skills, and play observation when appropriate

  • Comprehensive written report (typically 15-25 pages) with suggested interventions

 
Learning Disabilities (Dyslexia/Dysgraphia/Dyscalculia) – $2,000
  • comprehensive intelligence testing

  • comprehensive memory testing

  • comprehensive achievement testing in all academic areas

  • behavior/emotional/social assessment as needed

  • comprehensive testing of all neuropsychological processing areas appropriate, such as processing speed, visual-motor skills, visual-perceptual skills, auditory processing skills, phonological processing skills, attention/concentration skills, oral language, retrieval speed

  • comprehensive written report (typically 15 -25 pages) with suggestions for intervention

 
 Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Assessment– $1,500
  • comprehensive intelligence testing

  • basic achievement screening

  • behavior analysis/checklists

  • computerized attention assessment

  • memory and processing speed screening

  • abbreviated written report (typically 8 – 12 pages) with suggestions for intervention

 
Complete psychoeducational assessment (ADHD + LD) – $2,500
  • comprehensive intelligence testing

  • comprehensive achievement testing in all academic areas

  • computerized attention assessment

  • behavior/emotional/social assessment

  • comprehensive memory testing

  • comprehensive testing of all neuropsychological processing areas appropriate, such as processing speed, visual-motor skills, visual-perceptual skills, auditory processing skills, phonological processing skills, attention/concentration skills, executive functioning skills, and oral language

  • comprehensive report (typically 15-25 pages) with suggestions for intervention

 
Intellectual Assessment only- $600
  • Comprehensive intelligence testing (depending on age: WWPSI, WISC, or WAIS) with a brief written report (includes a 40-60 minute feedback session)

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Academic Assessment only- $850
  • Achievement testing in all academic areas (basic reading, reading comprehension, math reasoning, math calculation, written expression- WIAT) with a brief written report (includes a 40-60 minute feedback session)

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Consultation / classroom observation / IEP, 504, SST or other meeting attendance- $200 per hour, including travel time
  • Our clinicians are available to meet with you to discuss behavioral, learning, and developmental issues.  We are happy to attend meetings at your child’s school (for example, IEP or 504) or complete behavioral observations in locations outside the office.  

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Why doesn’t CABHC take all insurance companies?

Working with insurance companies is very complicated, and it takes a lot of time away from providing high-quality services that are tailored to your needs. We would rather spend our time preparing for our sessions or working with you than sitting on hold, waiting for an insurance representative.

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What happens if I have to cancel or reschedule my appointment?

We understand that sometimes unforeseen events take place! However, we know that therapy works best if you participate on a consistent basis. We ask that you please cancel or reschedule appointments with at least 24 hours’ advance notice. You can cancel appointments by leaving a message at (714) 696-1385 or emailing the therapist with whom you made the appointment (Dr. Patricia Gisbert at pgisbert@ca-bhc.com; Dr. Luis Morales Knight at luis@ca-bhc.com; or Dr. Iris Richardson at irichardson@ca-bhc.com; Dr. Patti Moulton at pmoulton@ca-bhc.com; Shabnam Cherry at scherry@ca-bhc.com; or Alfredo Arciniega at aarciniega@ca-bhc.com). We will try to reschedule you as soon as possible, but you may have to wait until the following week to be seen. No-shows and late cancellations (with less than 24 hours’ notice) will result in a bill to you for $100. When an appointment is cancelled at the last minute, we are not able to offer that spot to another individual or family who wanted to come in.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL BE PROVIDED IN THE INTAKE PAPERWORK.
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