SHARON PACKER, M.D.PsychiatryPsychopharmacologyPsychiatric MedicineTELEPSYCHIATRY
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Frequently Asked Questions

We try to anticipate questions you might have about our PRODUCT / SERVICE and provide the answers here. If you need additional information send a confidential email to drpacker@hotmail.com.
1. Do you accept insurance? YES, I accept many insurances for standard psychiatric services, including MEDICARE & MEDICAID. Some insurances such as GHI HIP EMBLEM cover OUT-OF-NETWORK care.
1. WHICH TYPES OF TREATMENTS ARE (usually) COVERED BY INSURANCE?
  • TYPES OF TREATMENT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE in my office (and usually covered by insurance):

  • There are many different types of psychiatric treatment. The best treatment for your best friend is not necessarily the best treatment for you. Similarly, many different problems may benefit from treatment by a psychiatrist, so we need to know what bothers you now so that we can choose the best (and safest and quickest) treatment approach for your needs.

  • In addition, there have been many advances in treatments in recent years, so that even "traditional talk therapy" (the kind you see in old movies) has been advanced and refined and can be tailored to the individual. Some people need long 45 min therapy appts and some people will do as well (if not better) with short "high-yield" CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) or much-studied technique called MI (motivational interviewing).

  • CBT therapy includes homework assignments that target your specific problem areas, to help you make the most of your appt time, and get better results in less time (scientifically proven, too!). MI (motivational interviewing) is especially useful for substance-related or addictive disorders. Targeted CBT helps eating disorders better than analytic sessions. Those with problems with prescription pain meds (or non-prescribed opioids) often benefit from short frequent sessions. We use "evidence-based medicine" standards that are based on scientific studies to help you choose your therapy.

  • Psychopharmacology has advanced dramatically, and is beneficial for many conditions (but not for all conditions). Sometimes, people are so relieved to find a medication that helps their symptoms that they do not feel need (or have time) for more therapy. Often, psychopharmacology is combined with various kinds of therapy. Sometimes, short CBT appts combined with psychopharm (med management) appts are just right. Sometimes, short supportive therapy appts combined with psychopharm appts are just right. However, we never know what's "just right" for you at this time until we do an initial evaluation. Even after we do the evaluation, we constantly re-evaluate the treatments and make modifications as needed, to ensure that you get the most benefit. When we need longer appts than are available in my office (or covered by your insurance), or when we need to add "psychodynamic therapy" or IPT (interpersonal therapy), we typically refer to therapists who are not trained as physicians but who can work with me.

  • I am happy to review your insurance list to see if I recognize names of therapists in your network who have experience with your type of situation. That said, these are the types of appts that are currently available through my office:

  • * Initial evaluation (which includes review of current and past psychiatric symptoms, medical history--to see if a medical problem is contributing to your symptoms or vice versa, medication history--to see what worked or worsened things in the past, social and cultural history--to understand "real life" contributors to your situation and how your culture colors your attitudes toward treatment, family history, etc.)

  • * psychopharmacology appts (also called "med management")

  • * short CBT (cognitive-behavioral therapy), when appropriate to the clinical situation

  • * short supportive therapy, when appropriate to the clinical situation

  • * short Transference-Focused Therapy, when appropriate to the clinical situation

  • *short MI (motivational interviewing), when appropriate to the clinical situation

  • * coordination of treatment with substance abuse or eating disorders programs

  • * coordination of treatment with medical specialists (in the case of serious or complicated medical problems or problems that affect mood or mentation)

  • What is NOT AVAILABLE via insurance: 45 min psychotherapy ("traditional talk therapy") sessions. If you prefer a type of therapy that is usually not covered by insurance (such as Jungian dream analysis or art therapy), we can discuss.

  • If you are inquiring about starting or continuing treatment with stimulants or other controlled medications for prior or presumptive diagnosis of ADHD/ADD, you can expedite appts by asking your previous doctor to fax records or send a short summary email. Pl note that we check the PRESCRIPTION MONITORING PROGRAM, before prescribing, as required by NY law.
1. I have a "high-deductible" insurance policy. What does that mean and how does it work?
  • If your insurance has a DEDUCTIBLE, that means that it does not start paying until you have met that DEDUCTIBLE.
  • BUT SOME INSURANCE PLANS WILL WAIVE DEDUCTIBLE FOR TELEPSYCHIATRY--so it's important to ask about this.
  • For instance, if you have a DEDUCTIBLE of $300, the insurance starts to pay after YOU PAID $300 (minus copays).
  • If you also have a CO-PAY, then everything you pay EXCEPT FOR THE COPAY is credited toward your deductible.
  • For instance, if your DEDUCTIBLE is $300, and you also have a COPAY of $30, and you pay $150 for your first visit, then your insurance applies $150 minus $30 (or $120) toward the DEDUCTIBLE. It subtracts the copay from your credit because the copay applies even when there is no DEDUCTIBLE. (Pl note that these numbers are artibrary and are used as examples--your own copay and deductible vary according to your insurance policy.
  • Your insurance policy sets your DEDUCTIBLE, so my office has no say in this matter.
  • You can find more info about your policy online--and it helps to copy and paste that info and forward to me .
  • If you find this information confusing, rest assured that you are not alone!!! Mosts docs find it confusing as well!=-a
1. How do I know what kind of insurance I have and how can I confirm that it covers your services?
  • My office will email you a short registration form that asks all pertinent questions. It takes about 5 minutes to complete.

  • This form allows us to confirm your insurance coverage, and also shows you how to find this information yourself.

  • Insurance is so complicated (and there are thousands of different policies)--so we ask you to be part of this process.

  • We want your treatment to be affordable to you, and want to avoid surprises that can cause more anxiety!!!

  • So we get this information before setting an appointment time. Parents or spouses can help with this part (if needed).
SHARON PACKER, M.D. Psychiatry PsychopharmacologyTELEPSYCHIATRY APPTSif you are in FLORIDA or NY STATE or FLORIDA during appt.
Phone: 917-855-8475drpacker@hotmail.com
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