Insurance

How do I discover what my insurance will cover?

Sometimes it can be challenging to figure out exactly how and to what degree your insurance can support you in your decision to initiate psychotherapy. When using insurance for counseling, your actual costs will be the co-pay and deductible established by your insurance. For this reason, it is very important that you to make an initial call to your insurance to determine what their specific guidelines are.

Below is a list of helpful questions to ask your insurance prior to starting therapy:

• Is Cathy Foister, PhD a provider who is covered by my insurance for therapy services?

• Is she considered in-network or out-of-network?

• What will my deductible and co-pay be for therapy?

• Are both telehealth and in-person sessions covered?

• Is the co-pay and deductible amount the same for both in-person and telehealth sessions?

• How many visits per year am I allowed?

• Do I need a referral or any type of authorization?

Sometimes an insurance company will ask for the credentials of your counselor and/or a CPT code or a service code. I am a psychologist, licensed in the state of North Carolina.

The CPT codes I most often use are:

• Individual Therapy - CPT 90837 - 55 minutes

• Individual Therapy - CPT 90834 - 45 minutes

• Individual Therapy - Intake Session - CPT 90791 – 60 -75 minutes

Sessions are almost always 55 minutes in length. Generally, this information can help you get clear answers from your insurance company.

Other options:

For clients who initiate counseling with me using one of the above accepted insurances, I will be happy to bill your insurance for our sessions. If you have insurance other than the ones listed above, I may be considered an out-of-network provider. In this case, I can offer a superbill that you can submit to your insurance. Of course, many clients also choose to pay privately for counseling as well. In this case, some reduced rate sessions are also offered as recommended by the American Psychological Association Code of Ethics.