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Frequently Asked Questions:What is a psychiatrist?Psychiatrists are physicians who specialize in diagnosing and treating mental illnesses. They complete medical school and pass the same courses and licensing exams as other physicians. As part of their evaluation of patients, psychiatrists are one of only a few mental health professionals who may prescribe psychiatric medications, order and interpret laboratory tests, and may order brain imaging studies such as MRI and CT scans. How do I choose a psychiatrist that is right for me?Here are some considerations. 1. Do you care if your psychiatrist is board-certified ? Board-certification is explained below. Here is an analogy. Let's say you are looking for a contractor to fix some electrical issues. Do you want one that is licensed or not. There are many good contractors who are not licensed. How important is this to you in a physician. A board-certified psychiatrist is like a licensed contractor. Keep in mind a contractor you will probably see just once. With a physician, you are establishing a long term working relationship. 2. Do you want a psychiatrist who specializes in a certain area such as depression or one who treats "everything". Going back to analogy above: do you want a general contractor to work on your electrical issues or would you be more comfortable with an electrician.3. Consider convenience. Is it important to you to find a psychiatrist who has a flexible schedule, to be able to see you during lunch hours or late evening hours so you don't have to miss work? If you have a busy schedule, you should find out how flexible your doctor's schedule is. 4. Is it important to you that the psychiatrist keeps current with psychopharmacology by attending conferences and learning from leaders in the psychiatric community? 5. You want a psychiatrist who genuinely has your best interest in mind. The best way to find out is to call and see if you can talk with the psychiatrist. You should go with your gut instinct whether or not you think a doctor is a good fit for you. How often will I have to return for visits? Assuming you will be taking medication, the medication should be monitored more closely at the beginning to make sure you are not experiencing uncomfortable side effects. Most of Dr. Tang's patients return for a visit once every 1 to 3 months once they are doing well on their medication. What is a board-certified psychiatrist?According to the American Board of Medical Specialties: "Medical specialty certification in the What about payment information?Dr. Tang is not on any insurance plan panel,
including Medicare/Medical. That being said, the majority of his patients have a PPO (Blue Cross Athem, Aetna) and are content with the insurance re-imbursement. Patients pay upfront and he will provide a
"superbill" which patients submit to the insurance company for
reimbursement consideration. Many of his patients get
reimbursed 30-60% of the office visits. Please check with your
insurance company to
see what their policy is on reimbursement. If you have a PPO, you may be surprised at how affordable it is to get individualized high quality care from Dr. Tang. Please don't hesitate to ask him how he is able to make this work. Dr. Tang is not a provider of any insurance plans because he believes:
What forms will I need to fill out ?Initial paperwork |
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