Insurance
I am an in-network provider for the Hopkins Employee Health Plan and I bill for this plan on patients’ behalf. Otherwise, I am an out-of-network provider and patients may use the monthly invoice I provide to file for reimbursement from their insurance networks. The invoice will include all the information needed to file.
For some guidance to help you determine your out-of-network reimbursement, please click here.
While health insurance may be of benefit to you, it entails some costs and risks. Insurance companies review patients' treatment. An insurance network will have a distant and abstract view of your care - influenced by statistics and their own biases. They may deny coverage for any care that they deem "not medically necessary." In my opinion, this language about "medical necessity" can also be code for costs insurance companies don't want to cover - so as to increase their bottom line. Here is a link to a recent court decision which found United Behavioral Health in violation of professional standards and guidelines in denying claims for psychotherapy. As a provider, I find this approach unacceptable.
Working with insurance companies is confusing and frustrating for many people. Take, for example, the time and patience required to make an inquiry or dispute a claim. Navigating automated and labyrinthine menus is no one's favorite activity. Insurance companies do not make it easy for patients - or for providers.
Many people are not aware that insurance companies pay in-network providers about half the market rate. Although it can be helpful to receive referrals through insurance networks, I have found that it is not worth the costs: reduced income, uncompensated administrative time, compromised ethics, hassle and annoyance. For these reasons and others, I have decided not to work with insurance companies as a healthcare provider.
I prefer to work directly with patients. This way, the patients who choose to work with their insurance providers can do whatever legwork may be required. It also keeps insurance companies out of the middle of therapy sessions, much less, looking over our shoulders, deciding what they think is right. In my practice, the best outcomes occur when patients and I can relate person-to-person and agree on terms that make sense for us.
I am an in-network provider for the Hopkins Employee Health Plan and I bill for this plan on patients’ behalf. Otherwise, I am an out-of-network provider and patients may use the monthly invoice I provide to file for reimbursement from their insurance networks. The invoice will include all the information needed to file.
For some guidance to help you determine your out-of-network reimbursement, please click here.
While health insurance may be of benefit to you, it entails some costs and risks. Insurance companies review patients' treatment. An insurance network will have a distant and abstract view of your care - influenced by statistics and their own biases. They may deny coverage for any care that they deem "not medically necessary." In my opinion, this language about "medical necessity" can also be code for costs insurance companies don't want to cover - so as to increase their bottom line. Here is a link to a recent court decision which found United Behavioral Health in violation of professional standards and guidelines in denying claims for psychotherapy. As a provider, I find this approach unacceptable.
Working with insurance companies is confusing and frustrating for many people. Take, for example, the time and patience required to make an inquiry or dispute a claim. Navigating automated and labyrinthine menus is no one's favorite activity. Insurance companies do not make it easy for patients - or for providers.
Many people are not aware that insurance companies pay in-network providers about half the market rate. Although it can be helpful to receive referrals through insurance networks, I have found that it is not worth the costs: reduced income, uncompensated administrative time, compromised ethics, hassle and annoyance. For these reasons and others, I have decided not to work with insurance companies as a healthcare provider.
I prefer to work directly with patients. This way, the patients who choose to work with their insurance providers can do whatever legwork may be required. It also keeps insurance companies out of the middle of therapy sessions, much less, looking over our shoulders, deciding what they think is right. In my practice, the best outcomes occur when patients and I can relate person-to-person and agree on terms that make sense for us.