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Are you in-network with my insurance?Services at Forge Psychology Chicago are currently in-network with most Blue Cross and Blue Shield PPO Plans, including Blue Choice PPO. In the near future, I hope to offer in-network care with Aetna, Optum/United, and Cigna/Evernoth PPO plans.
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If I am out-of-network, what is the session rate?New patients who are not using their insurance plans are accepted at a self-pay rate of $170.00 for individual psychotherapy sessions. This rate has remained unchanged since 2021, as I strive to keep costs of care stable despite inflation. If you would like to seek out-of-network reimbursement through your insurance company, I can provide you with a superbill (invoice). I can neither guarantee the service will be reimbursed nor provide refunds should your insurance company decline the request. I do not communicate with insurance companies at any point in this out-of-network process. Your credit card will be charged at the time of service. Visit the "Resources" tab at the top of the website to find a step-by-step breakdown for how to seek out-of-network reimbursement should you choose to do so. Depending on your insurance benefits, your cost per session may reduce once you have met the out-of-network deductible and the maximum out-of-pocket expenses for which you are responsible. Please note that 90-minute out-of-network sessions are billed at a rate of $220.00 to account for the enhanced session duration. These sessions are extended only to patients engaged in Prolonged Exposure (PE).
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What happens during the free phone screen?I will answer any questions about the services I provide, my scope of competency, and the extent to which I believe I will be a good fit for helping you toward your goals. However, phone screens do not result in receiving any clinical interventions as you will not be enrolled as a patient in the practice at this stage. Interventions are reserved for full sessions once you have completed practice enrollment via an intake. I cannot guarantee any outcomes based on a brief, non-clinical phone screen. The intake process is a more thorough assessment of your needs.
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What happens during the intake (initial sessions)?Initial visits are essential introductions to co-constructing a lasting relationship. We will discuss your goals and draft a personalized treatment approach. Required paperwork is completed at this stage of treatment. Initial visits last for a duration of approximately 50-60 minutes and are billed under the 90791 billing code (intake evaluation). If you are not able to use in-network insurance, your self-pay (out-of-network) rate will be billed at the standard service rate of $170.00 (due at the time of service). Should our partnership not be an ideal fit, you'll receive referrals to connect to the care you deserve.
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In-Person and Telehealth Sessions (Availability by State)In-person sessions are offered in the Roscoe Village neighborhood (physical location: 2500 W Bradley Place, Suite 210). Office visits occur after hours at the Compass Health Center facility. Please note, however, that patients of Forge Psychology Chicago are not patients of Compass Health Center. Telehealth visits are conducted on a remote basis (video) to patients living in Illinois, the 37 other states participating in PSYPACT, and Washington, D.C.; in-person optionality is offered on a tentative basis, and sessions may be converted to virtual format at a provider's discretion, such as in the case of safety hazards (e.g., pandemic-related) or changes in availability to physical space. Via PSYPACT, I am offering telehealth services in the following locations: Alabama - AL SB 102 (Enacted 3/18/2021; Effective 6/1/2021) Arizona - AZ HB 2503 (Enacted on 5/17/2016; Effective 7/1/2020) Arkansas - AR HB 1760 (Enacted 4/25/2021; Effective (11/18/2021) Colorado - CO HB 1017 (Enacted 4/12/2018; Effective 7/1/2020) Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands - CNMI HB 22-80 (Enacted and Effective 10/24/2022) Connecticut -CT S 2(Enacted 5/24/2022; Effective 10/1/2022) Delaware - DE HB 172 (Enacted 6/27/2019; Effective 7/1/2020) District of Columbia - DC B 145 (Enacted and Effective 4/2/2021) Florida -FL H 33(Enacted 5/25/2023; Effective 7/1/2023) Georgia - GA HB 26 (Enacted 4/23/2019; Effective 7/1/2020) Idaho - ID S 1305 (Enacted 3/23/2022; Effective 7/1/2022) Illinois - IL HB 1853 (Enacted 8/22/2018, Effective 7/1/2020) Indiana -IN S 365(Enacted 3/10/2022; Effective 7/1/2022) Kansas - KS SB 170 (Enacted 5/17/2021; Effective 1/1/2022) Kentucky - KY HB 38 (Enacted 3/18/2021; Effective 6/28/2021) Maine - ME HB 631 (Enacted 6/22/2021; Effective 10/18/2021) Maryland - MD HB 970 (Enacted and Effective 5/18/2021) Michigan -MI H 5489(Enacted 12/22/2022; Effective 3/29/2023) Minnesota - MN SB 193 (Enacted 5/25/2021; Effective 5/26/2021) Missouri - MO HB 1719/MO SB 660 (Enacted 6/1/2018; Effective 7/1/2020) Nebraska - NE L 1034 (Enacted 4/23/2018; Effective 7/1/2020) Nevada - NV AB 429 (Enacted on 5/26/2017; Effective 7/1/2020) New Hampshire- NH SB 232 (Enacted 7/10/2019; Effective 7/1/2020) New Jersey -NJ A 4205(Enacted 9/24/2021; Effective 11/23/2021) North Carolina - NC 361 (Enacted 7/1/2020; Effective 3/1/2021) North Dakota - ND S 2205 (Enacted 4/13/2023; Effective 8/1/2023) Ohio -OH S 2 (Enacted 4/27/2021; Effective 7/26/2021) Oklahoma - OK HB 1057 (Enacted 4/29/2019; Effective 7/1/2020) Pennsylvania- PA SB 67(Enacted 5/8/2020; Effective 7/8/2020) Rhode Island -RI H 7501(Enacted 6/21/2022; Effective7/1/2023) South Carolina -SC H 3204(Enacted 5/16/2023; Effective7/17/2023) Tennessee -TN S 161 (Enacted and Effective 5/11/2021) Texas - TX HB 1501 (Enacted 6/10/2019; Effective 7/1/2020) Utah - UT SB 106 (Enacted on 3/17/2017; Effective 7/1/2020) Virginia- VA SB 760(Enacted 4/11/2020; Effective 1/1/2021) Washington -WA H 1286(Enacted 3/4/2022; Effective 6/9/2022) West Virginia - WV SB 668 (Enacted 4/21/2021; Effective 11/18/2021) Wisconsin -WI A 537 (Enacted 2/4/2022; Effective 2/6/2022) Wyoming - WY S 26 (Enacted 2/15/2023; Effective 2/15/2023) Tentatively Scheduled for July 2024: Vermont - VT H 282 (Enacted 6/1/2023; Effective Tentatively 7/1/2024) Participation in telehealth is contingent upon screening for appropriateness of care via this modality. Some presenting concerns are best-suited for in-person treatment, symptom monitoring, and assessment.
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How long does each session last? Which billing codes do you use?Individual Psychotherapy: Sessions are conducted within the standard "therapy hour" (between 45 and 55 minutes). I start and end sessions on time to maintain the frame of treatment and to avoid reducing the next patient's allotted time. During the initial visit, we will discuss the session frequency that best addresses your needs. Most patients engage in one or two sessions per week. Treatment lengths vary. We will evaluate outcomes at session milestones to inform the continuation or completion of our work. Common session milestones for new patients include the first, sixth, twelfth and twenty-sixth sessions. If you are using an in-network insurance plan, I will bill the following codes based on session duration: 90791 (intake sessions only), 90834 (38-52 minutes), 90837 (53-60 minutes). If you are self-paying or are out-of-network, I charge a flat rate of $170.00 for scheduled individual sessions. Other Notes on Billing Codes: -Patients seeking Prolonged Exposure (PE), which may involve some 90-minute sessions, will utilize a different fee structure discussed before initiating services (insurance coverage for enhanced session durations varies). The self-pay rate for a 90-minute PE session would be $220.00. -Relationship and family psychotherapy billing falls under CPT code 90847. Coverage varies. -Group psychotherapy billing falls under 90853. If covered in-network, you may only receive in-network insurance coverage for one group per day. Certain groups, such as purely psychoeducation groups (i.e., self-help information provided without meaningful therapeutic support), may be billed only on a self-pay basis per rules governing most insurance plans. -An interactive complexity code (90785) may be added should unanticipated difficulties be faced during sessions (i.e., factors exceeding the bounds of a typical psychotherapy encounter). Other Fees: -In the event I am required or requested to appear in court, my fee is $250.00 per hour (not billable to insurance). -My rate for administrative work outside of routine processes is $185.00 per hour (not billable to insurance). This fee can be reduced if the work requires less than one full hour in fifteen minute increments. For instance, writing a support letter for 30 minutes would be billed at a 50% rate of $92.50. Reviewing medical records for fifteen minutes would be billed at 25% rate of $46.25.
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Am I good fit?Except with very straightforward questions, it may be difficult to determine goodness-of-fit via a brief email or phone conversation. For situations that may take some time to explore, please schedule an initial session so that I may assess your individual needs. Currently, I am enrolling adult patients only. A commonality of many of my patients is the experience of trauma and its pathways to symptom formation, ranging from (complex) posttraumatic stress to depression and broad relational concerns. I also routinely treat narcissism, grief, adjustment concerns, and impediments in identity development. I strive to be anti-racist, anti-oppressive, and gender and sexuality affirming. Much of my training and academic experience centered on collaborating with individuals who have suffered oppression with an emphasis on sexual, gender, and racial minority disparities. Common professional backgrounds of my patients include health practitioners, artists, military veterans, teachers, and business and technology professionals. As an individual provider, I am unable to accept patients with severe psychosis, substance misuse, imbalanced eating, or current behaviors that result in the injury of oneself or others. These concerns are best treated by a comprehensive treatment team.
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I'm also looking for...At present, I am offering individual and relationship psychotherapy slots for adult patients. I maintain a referral network of clinicians, groups, and intensive programs to address emergent or supplemental needs. Group psychotherapy, including psychoeducation and/or process group options, is slated to be offered in the first half of 2024 (tentative).
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