top of page
-
Are you accepting new patients?Yes! Thank you so much for your interest in the practice. Now accepting new child, teen, and adult patients as of Monday May 20, 2024. Just follow the three (3) REQUIRED steps on the Contact page to Request a Consultation.
-
Do you accept health insurance?I do not accept health insurances. However, a "superbill" may be provided to you to submit to your insurance for reimbursement. The "superbill" will show the retail value of the visits received (e.g. $600 for a new patient evaluation, $260 for a follow-up visit). Typically health insurances do not cover subscription fees so the monthly subscription fees will not be reflected on the "superbill." If you have further questions on this feel free to reach out.
-
Do you offer therapy?That is a great question. I do not offer the typical psychotherapy which involves weekly to biweekly visits for an hour at a time but I have been trained in the "old school" of psychiatry by some amazing psychologists and psychiatrists who have taught me to weave therapy into medication management appointments. Not all psychiatric problems require medication and a bit of curiosity and a little skill in therapy can go a long way to finding a solution that fits best for the patient and family.
-
Do you offer in-person appointments?As much as the world has moved toward virtual visits, there is no substitute for the in-person connection between a patient and their doctor especially for younger kids and teens. I offer both in-person and virtual appointments with the flexibility to change from one mode to the other even up to the last minute. I have a charming office space designed to be fun yet peaceful with lots of games and toys.
-
What is the age range of patients you treat?It's a little confusing with all the sloths, but I definitely enjoy working with adults in addition to kids and teens. I will see children as young as age 4 and I also have some geriatric psychiatry experience and work with elderly adults without a maximum age range.
-
Are you accepting new patients?Yes! Thank you so much for your interest in the practice. We are accepting new child, teen, and adult patients as of Monday May 20, 2024. Just follow the instructions on the Contact page to Request a Consultation.
-
Do you offer in-person appointments?As much as the world has moved toward virtual visits, there is no substitute for the in-person connection a patient and their doctor especially for younger kids and teens. I offer both in-person and virtual appointments with the flexibility to change from one mode to the other even up to the last minute. I have a charming office space designed to be fun yet peaceful with lots of games and toys.
-
What if I want to cancel the initial evaluation intake appointment?Life is unpredictable and there is some flexibility in the event you need to cancel your initial appointment. The first month's fee is fully refundable if the initial evaluation intake appointment is cancelled, via patient portal message, 48-business-hours prior to the appointment start time. If the initial evaluation intake appointment cancellation occurs with less than 48-business-hours written notice then the first month's fee is non-refundable.
-
What if I want to reschedule the initial evaluation intake appointment?Rescheduling the first appointment is easy using the patient portal. There is no rescheduling fee if the initial evaluation intake appointment is rescheduled 48-business-hours prior to the appointment start time. There is a Rescheduling Fee of half (1/2) the first month's payment if the appointment is rescheduled with less than 48-business-hours notice (e.g. First month's payment is $350 and rescheduling of the initial appointment with less than 48-business-hours notice incurs a $175 Rescheduling Fee).
-
Who should be present at appointments for a child or a teen?A very important question. On the first initial intake evaluation visit at least one parent or guardian with legal medical decision-making power must be present with the child or teen if they are under 18 years old. For follow-up visits the expectation is that a parent or guardian be present with their child or young teen for the entirety of the visit. There is some flexibility for teens who can drive themselves to appointments as a conversation with the parent can be conducted by phone after the visit, but this is on a case-by-case basis and must be approved in advance.
-
Do you accept health insurance?I do not accept health insurances. However, I can provide you with a "superbill" to submit to your insurance for reimbursement. The "superbill" will show the retail value of the visits received (e.g. $600 for a new patient evaluation, $260 for a follow-up visit). Typically health insurances do not cover subscription fees so the monthly subscription fees will not be reflected on the "superbill." If you have further questions on this feel free to reach out.
-
What if I want to return to your care after cancelling my subscription?It's not easy to make the decision to resume care but if you do it should be as easy as possible. Most patients or families simply reach out and request to return. A decision to approve is made based upon availability, circumstances, and if an account is in good standing with no past due bills. Once approved, the subscription is restarted at the current rate listed on the Subscription page (e.g. $350 first month then $130 per month).
-
How long do you typically take to respond to patients?One of the best features of the practice is the prompt response time. For urgent issues, such as a patient safety concern, please leave a voicemail. Urgent issues typically result in a response time of a few hours and sooner if possible. For non-urgent issues the most reliable method of communication is secure message via the patient portal. Non-urgent response time is usually under 24 hours. However, the official policy is to allow 48-business-hours for non-urgent responses. If you have sent a text message, sometimes this is not the most reliable communication method so we recommend following up with a patient portal message or voicemail if you have not received a response within 24 hours. If you are a potential new patient seeking care, please follow the 2-step process for requesting a consultation on the Contact page of the website.
-
How do you prefer to be addressed?Dr. Merchant (he/him) works well enough.
bottom of page