Fees
Fees
The cost of therapy and other mental health services often requires a significant financial investment in your health that is not always feasible. As such, I have always provided my fee schedule for all services on my website in an effort to foster clarity and self-determination in what is a often a complicated and difficult process to navigate.
My fees are reflective of extensive education, ongoing training, years of experience, specific areas of expertise, as well as the costs associated with maintaining a private practice.
Health Insurance
I do not contract with insurance companies, and all clients are self-pay. I began my career in an insurance-based group private practice, had a short period in my private practice where I contracted with two insurance companies, and have operated as a fully self-pay practice since 2018. Ultimately, my decisions around not contracting with insurance companies involve the combination of several factors:
1. Private-pay therapists aren’t unwilling to take insurance, but insurance companies are unwilling to pay the cost of therapy.
Reimbursement rates in our area are significantly below the industry average. The energy and effort it takes to interact with insurance companies, especially as a solo provider, are extreme. Insurance companies generally have hour-long hold times, poor customer service, and pushback on why therapists are requesting more sessions with you, their client. All of these factors mean that taking insurance would require me to spend significantly more time on administrative tasks for which I am not reimbursed than providing quality care to my clients.
2. You must have a diagnosis based on a fully medical model of mental health care.
Insurance companies require you to have a diagnosis in order for them to cover therapy. This means that we must provide a DSM-5 diagnosis and justify medical necessity for every visit. Not everyone who seeks mental health services meets the criteria for a diagnosis. This is particularly true for relationship and family therapy. In some cases, having a diagnosis on your permanent medical record can also impact your future concerning employment, life insurance, or legal cases.
3. Insurance companies have the right to review your therapy records.
Your insurance company employs people (not all of them mental health clinicians) to conduct reviews in order to determine whether you’re using your insurance too much and to look for fraud. This process allows them access to your treatment records. This also means the insurance company may deny claims (often after a session has already occurred) either because they don’t believe it meets “medical necessity”, you’ve used more than the number of sessions they have determined are appropriate for a given diagnosis, or because our sessions were longer than what they are willing to reimburse.
I believe you have the right to privacy and confidentiality even from your insurance company.
I believe that you deserve the autonomy to move through the therapeutic process at a pace that is appropriate for you.
Out of Network Reimbursement
As I do not contract (“In Network”) with any insurance companies, I am considered “Out of Network.” This means that your insurance company may still reimburse you a percentage of what you spend when you use an out-of-network provider. If your policy has these benefits, I can provide you with a Superbill or a specific receipt containing all the information you need to submit a claim with your insurance company. This process still requires you to receive a diagnosis.
Most insurances do not cover evaluations, but they may reimburse for some portions of them, such as the first and last appointments.
Family law services are not reimbursable by insurance.
Questions to ask your Insurance Provider:
1. What are my “out-of-network, outpatient, mental health benefits” when seeing a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist?
2. Do I need a referral from my primary care provider (PCP) to receive mental health services?
3. Do I have a deductible (amount you have to pay out of pocket before benefits kick in), coinsurance (a percentage you have to pay), or copay (typically a set fee per service type)?
4. Have I met my deductible this year? When does my deductible restart?
5. Does pre-authorization apply? (Meaning: does the insurance company have to approve the treatment before starting therapy?)
6. How do I file out-of-network claims?
Sliding Scale or Reduced Fee
Reduced rates are occasionally available depending on the current caseload, client needs, and areas of specialization.
Please reach out directly to inquire about the availability of these spots before scheduling.
HSA/FSA
You can use your HSA/FSA funds to pay for mental health services using pre-tax income. Comprehensive receipts for all charges are available at any time.
These funds should not be used for cancellation or no-show fees and you are encouraged to keep a back-up non HSA/FSA card on file for these charges.
Good Faith Estimate
Effective January 1, 2022, you have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” (GFE) explaining how much your medical care will cost. Vann Counseling & Consulting has always provided transparency in our billing practices by displaying our fee schedule online and as a part of our onboarding process for new clients. Please know that the Good Faith Estimate does not change any agreements you have already made with us with regard to self-pay. Under the law, healthcare providers need to give clients who don’t have insurance or who are not using their insurance an estimate of the bill for medical services.
- You have the right to receive a GFE for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services.
- If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your GFE, then you can dispute the bill.
- Make sure to save a copy or picture of your GFE (a copy will be in your client portal for you to review)
For questions or more information about the GFE, go to www.cms.gov/nosurprise. or call 1-800-985-3059
Therapy Session Fees
Intake Appointment for Individual Therapy
$185
Intake Appointment for Family or Couples Therapy
$250
Standard Therapy Session
$150
Extended Sessions
$225
ADHD & AUTISM EVALUATIONS
ADHD Evaluation
$695
Comprehensive Report Included
ADHD Computer Screening
$295
2 page Summary Report Included
Computer Re-Test
Adult Autism Evaluation
$1000
Diagnostic Letter Included
Report Options +$200-400
Adult Autism + ADHD Evaluation
$1350
Diagnostic Letter Included
Report Options +$200-400
Neurotype Collaborative Consultation
$375 for 90 minute telehealth session
FAMILY LAW CONSULTING
Co-Parenting Consulting
Social Investigations & Guardian ad Litem
Consulting with Other Professionals
$100/hour for Mental Health Professionals who are students, interns, or from marginalized populations
$150/hour for fully-licensed Professionals
Legal Policies & Fees
Scheduling a deposition or court appearance must be done at least two weeks before the required date, and payment for the minimum charge (below) is due at the time of booking.
A minimum fee of 4 hours ($1,000.00) is required for any deposition or court appearance, regardless of the actual time spent or if the case is canceled or postponed when the therapist arrives. The party that requests the deposition may be responsible for the full fee unless the court order states otherwise.
The fee to block a half day for a trial (9 am to 1 pm or 1 pm to 5 pm) is $1,000. The cost to block a whole day for a trial (from 9 am to 5 pm) is $2,000. If your case is postponed or delayed on the day of appearance, and you have not guaranteed Heather Vann’s presence for the entire day, she will only be available for the estimated time. Court fees are typically split 50/50 between the parties unless the court order states differently.
Additional fees for court-related time are billed at $250 per hour which includes, but is not limited to records review and report writing, waiting for court, speaking with your attorney, meeting with your attorney, and/or actual testimony time. The $250/hour rate will be billed in 15 min increments after the first full hour.
Travel is billed at $150/hour with a one hour minimum and in 15 min increments after the first full hour.
If the deposition or court appearance is cancelled for any reason less than three (3) business days prior to the scheduled date then no refunds will be provided. Cancellations occurring four (4) or more business days prior to the scheduled date are subject to a 50% refund.