I am an out-of-network provider. If you have out-of-network benefits, my billing service will prepare “superbills” (statements for insurance reimbursement that include all necessary information on them) and will send them to you via e-mail every month. You can submit these superbills to your insurance company online or via mail, and the insurance company will send you payments. Typically my patients are responsible for the full session fee before they get reimbursed, unless we reach a different agreement during our consultation.
I typically check your insurance out-of-network benefits during our consultation if you have Aetna or BCBS. For other insurance companies, I will guide you through the process of checking your benefits with my practice. If you run into any problems with your insurance company during the process, I will be advocating for you at any time, i.e., before, during or after our work together.
You can also contact your insurance company before you contact me or any other out of network psychologist. Specifically you can ask the following questions to the customer service representative of your insurance company:
- Do I have out-of-network benefits for mental health? If YES,
- What is the deductible amount before the insurance benefits kick in? (and how much of this amount you have met so far, if applicable)
- What is the percentage-covered per therapy session?
If you are asked for a CPT code, you can use 90834 (individual psychotherapy) as an example. I hope this section is helpful for answering your insurance related questions. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any specific questions you might have on this subject.
Dr. Ozlem Bekar 