We are. We do. So do we.

Therefore, we're happy to phone your insurance company and obtain your benefit information for you—before you arrive for your first appointment. We do this for all the services we offer—mental/behavioral health treatment, healthy behavior assessments and intervention (for physical illness), and psychological testing and assessment.

Suburban Counseling Services respects your right to confidential treatment. We work hard to safeguard against any unnecessary intrusiveness from your insurance company. We value your trust and are committed to protecting your private information. As such, all billing services are conducted “in house” at the clinic—not outsourced to an off-site agency and are closely monitored by the clinic director, Dr. Campbell. We submit all claims for you and then diligently follow-up with your insurance company in the case of any delayed payment or disputed claim.

Most insurance companies reimburse a substantial portion of the cost, depending on the insurance plan you or your employer selected. All of our doctors are “out-of-network” healthcare providers. The decision to remain independent from managed care panels and insurance contracts brings numerous, important benefits to you such as greater control over your treatment, a higher level of confidentiality, easier access to your doctor, and more continuity to your treatment. Additionally, if you change insurance companies during treatment, you don’t have to worry that you have to change doctors due to your insurance company’s provider list. Almost all non-HMO insurance companies reimburse "out-of-network" providers - often at a similar benefit rate. We’re happy to provide you with the information your insurance company quotes us — both the “in-network” benefits and the “out-of-network” benefits. We also accept Medicare with your secondary insurance plan, but we are not contracted with Medicaid.

Fees vary depending on the type of service (e.g., individual vs. couple’s/family therapy vs. assessments) and are consistent with fees at other clinics in our geographical area. We’re happy to provide you with specific information on our fees when you phone us so you can make an informed decision before you begin treatment. Monthly billing statements are mailed out to help you stay current on any missed or overdue payments. Please remember, as a patient, you're responsible for informing us about any changes in your insurance plan.


Federal & State Mental Health Parity Laws

There have been a number of new laws passed recently that improve access for you to obtain mental/behavioral health services. As reported by the American Psychological Association, “Patients are already benefitting from the parity law. Since January 1, patients have seen co-payments and co-insurance for psychological services reduced as mental health treatment is covered at parity with physical health care.”

Beginning January 1, 2010, the Mental Health Parity & Addiction Equity Act of 2008 aligns mental health/substance abuse (MHSA) benefits and medical/surgical benefits. The new law requires that any group health plan that includes MHSA benefits along with standard medical/surgical coverage must treat them equally in terms of out-of-pocket costs, benefit limits, and practices such as prior authorization and utilization review. These practices must be based on the same level of scientific evidence used by the insurer for medical/surgical benefits. This applies to both in-network and out-of-network providers.

For example, a plan may not apply separate deductibles for treatment related to MHSA and medical/surgical benefits—they must be calculated as one limit. This law applies to employers with 50 or more workers whose group health plan chooses to offer MHSA benefits. Additionally, health insurance plans must make available to participants, beneficiaries, or providers (upon request) the “medical necessity” criteria and any reason for payment denials.