Common Questions Potential New Patients Have
Why does it take so long to get a new patient appointment? New patient appointments are usually booked out 5-6 weeks out. The main reason for this is that there are not many providers in the East Valley area that specialize in child and adolescent psychiatry. Some of the providers don’t accept insurance or only a few insurance plans. I personally have about 800 current patients, and I first have to make sure that I have the time to take care of their needs. I accept seven new patients a week, but the demand is higher, creating the wait.
Is there a waiting list? My receptionist does keep a list of people wishing to get in sooner. When a new patient appointment cancels, she offers the opening to people on the list.
What can I expect at the first appointment? The first appointment is called a "psychiatric evaluation", and it is scheduled for an hour. It covers a wide variety of topics, including: developmental history, physical health, family and social history, substance use/ abuse, past treatment history, job/ school functioning, multiple areas of emotional health and your concerns. At the end, we may discuss medication options if clinically indicated. Since these appointments are an hour long, they are only scheduled at specific times (9am, 11am; 10am and 1pm Tuesdays; 10am on Wednesdays; and 10am on Thursdays).
What can I expect at follow-up appointments? Follow-up appointments are called "med checks" or "medication management. They are about 15-20 minutes long, and we discuss symptoms and any medication changes. They are more frequent in the beginning and when needed. As long as I am prescribing medication for you, I will need to see you at least every three months. Even though psych eval appointments are often booked out for several weeks, I can generally see existing patients within a day or two.
How do I make a new patient appointment? To make a new patient appointment, please send us an email (see the contact page for the address). If the patient is an adult, he/ she needs to schedule their own appointment. If the patient is under 18, a biological parent or legal guardian must bring them to the first appointment.
What paperwork needs to be done? Apppointments with new patients are often complicated by insurance and paperwork issues. To make things go as smoothly as possible, we request that you do several things prior to your appointment:
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- 1. Fax us a copy of your insurance card if possible to help us verify your insurance coverage and get any needed authorizations. Before faxing, please use a copier to increase the size of the card so we can read the numbers.
- Please arrive at least 15 minutes before the appointment time.
2. Complete three pages of paperwork (links are below). All patients / their parents must complete a “Patient Intake Form”, "Financial Agreement", and the age-appropriate medical form (either adult or child/adol). If you can fax the forms to us ahead of time, that would be great. Otherwise, bring the competed forms with you to the appointment.
Patient Forms:
Patient Intake Form Child and Adolescent Medical Form Adult Medical Form Financial Agreement For your information:
Office Policies Form HIPPA Information Resources List Teacher Behavior Evaluation Scale Release of Information
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