Billing can be complicated, so we’ve tried to make it as easy and direct as possible. Here, you can find the price range for each of our services, as well as how billing works. If you have any questions, please call our billing department at 847-733-4300, option 3.
As you prepare for therapy and think about what to budget, you’ll likely want some idea of what to expect. Very often, clients want to know the number of appointments they’ll need. While there’s not a definitive answer, at the outset of therapy, you and your therapist will talk about this. You will start to determine the course of your care during your initial appointment, which can help you plan for time and expenses.
We require our clients to keep a credit card on file for easy, automatic payment after each appointment. Because we don’t see the majority of our clients in person, the process functions most smoothly if we have this information in our system. You can save a credit card, debit card or HSA/FSA card as your preferred method of payment, and we’re happy to discuss payment options when you call.
We’re committed to helping, regardless of the ability to pay. Our therapists-in-training — with supervision from our staff therapists — provide services through the Bette D. Harris Family & Child Clinic at no cost to qualifying clients. We base qualification on household income and size of household.
Our therapy service in the staff practice costs range from $160 to $260 per session, depending on the therapist and type of therapy. Initial diagnostic assessment sessions cost 125% of your therapist’s regular fee (for example, if your therapist's regular fee is $170, the initial diagnostic assessment sessions would cost $212.50). Once you begin therapy, your clinician determines how many diagnostic assessment sessions — up to three — will be needed.
Most of our therapists are in-network providers for Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO and we have several who accept Medicare. Other health insurance providers may cover services through out-of-network benefits. Before your first session, check with your insurance provider about coverage for behavioral health services.
Our neuropsychological assessment services cost up to $4770, depending on the reason for referral and type of tests required. Some of our psychologists are in-network providers for Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO. Other health insurance providers cover assessment services through out-of-network benefits. When you call for an appointment, we can discuss payment options, including payment plans.
During your initial phone conversation with your psychologist to determine if an assessment would be beneficial, they can share the appropriate billing codes with you, so that you can check with your insurance provider about coverage.
Our psychiatry service costs range from $200 to $410 per session, depending on the type of appointment and specifics of each individual. When you call for an appointment, we can discuss payment options.
Our psychiatrists are in-network providers for Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO. Other health insurance providers may cover services through out-of-network benefits. Before your first session, we recommend that you check with your insurance provider about coverage.
We request the standard 24-hour notice to cancel an appointment. This amount of notice could help another client get an appointment. If 24-hours’ notice is not given, or you miss an appointment, you may be charged the full fee for your session. Insurance does not cover “no show” fees.
Please note that 5 business days’ notice is required to cancel an appointment for neuropsychological assessment. If 5 days’ notice is not given or you miss a neuropsychological assessment appointment, you will be charged $340.
Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who either don’t have insurance or are not using insurance, an estimate of the bill for medical items and services. Patients not using insurance have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services, including mental healthcare. These clients can ask us, or any other provider, for a Good Faith Estimate before scheduling an appointment. If clients receive a bill that is at least $400 more than their Good Faith Estimate, they can dispute the bill.
If you are a self-pay client, we will provide you with a Good Faith Estimate via the Patient Portal at least one business day prior to your first scheduled appointment and annually thereafter. If you are out-of-network with a provider, but will be submitting reimbursement claims to your insurance for services, the No Surprises Act does not apply to you at this time.
For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid website or call 800-985-3059.
Before your first session, we recommend that you check with your insurance provider about coverage for behavioral health services.
If you have a balance, we send statements monthly to your patient portal and billing address, unless you opt for paperless billing. Account information — including outstanding balances, monthly statements and payment history — is listed in your patient portal. You can also make payments through the portal. When verifying charges with your bank or credit card records, please note that dates might not correspond to the dates of your sessions, but rather to the dates when your therapist submits documentation and your card was charged.
“In-network” means that clinicians and health insurance providers have signed a contract and agreed to a rate for services. Most of our clinicians are in-network providers with Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO and several accept Medicare. Clinician profile pages indicate if they are in-network with BCBS PPO and/or Medicare. None of our clinicians are in-network with any other insurance providers.
If you’re seeing an in-network provider, we bill your insurance company directly for services. Most insurance plans require clients to pay a portion of the fee — a co-pay, deductible or co-insurance — at some point in time. The amount depends on your plan’s specifics and will be charged to your credit card on file.
Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO
In some cases, even if you have a BCBS PPO and you are seeing an in-network provider, your plan may use a third-party vendor to cover behavioral health benefits specifically. These third-party vendors (i.e. United Behavioral Health, Magellan, Compsych) are considered out-of-network.
Medicare
Medicare usually covers only a portion of the total cost, so you are financially responsible for any remaining balance, unless you have a secondary policy that covers the additional costs.
Medicare Advantage
Medicare Advantage Plans, sometimes called “Part C” or “MA Plans,” are an “all-in-one” alternative to Original Medicare. Private companies (i.e. Blue Cross Blue Shield, United, Cigna) administer them, with Medicare approval. If BCBS administers your Medicare Advantage plan and you see one of our Medicare providers, we will bill your Medicare Advantage plan. You may still be responsible for a co-pay, deductible or co-insurance, which will be charged to your credit card on file.
If you have a Medicare Advantage plan administered by another health insurance provider (not BCBS) and see one of our Medicare providers, your sessions are considered “out-of-network” and you are responsible for full payment on the date of your session.
“Out-of-network” means that clinicians and health insurance providers have not signed a contract. Many health insurance plans cover our services through out-of-network benefits for behavioral health, but the specifics of coverage vary. If you have a BCBS PPO, but BCBS is not listed on your provider’s profile page, services are considered out-of-network. Medicare does not reimburse for out-of-network services.
You are responsible for full payment on the date of your session (after the session is complete). You can then submit a claim to your insurance provider for direct reimbursement to you. You may receive no reimbursement or nearly full reimbursement depending on your plan.
Courtesy Claim Submission
The Family Institute provides courtesy claim submission for these insurance companies: Aetna, United Healthcare, Cigna, Magellan, Harken Health, Beacon Health and BCBS PPO for out-of-network providers. You are responsible for payment in-full at the time of service; we then automatically submit documentation to your insurance company on your behalf to request that they reimburse you directly based on the specifics of your out-of-network coverage.
At this time, The Family Institute does not submit courtesy claim submission for other insurance plans not listed above. We can provide you with a detailed statement that you can submit to your insurance company.
Co-Pay: A fixed dollar amount that your insurance company designates as your responsibility to pay at each visit. Common co-payment rates are $10 or $20 per visit, though copayment rates vary from plan to plan. Your co-pay must be collected on the day of your appointment. If you have saved a card on file, your card will not be charged until after your session.
Co-insurance: The part of your bill, in addition to a co-pay, that is your responsibility. Co-insurance is usually a percentage of the total bill, for example, 20%. If you have saved a card on file, your card will be charged automatically for any co-insurance amount due following insurance processing. If you do not have a card on file, you will be billed monthly for your co-insurance amount.
Deductible: The amount you must pay out-of-pocket before the insurance company starts to pay for care — for example, $500 per individual or $1,500 per family. Typically, you must meet a new deductible each calendar year.