New Patient Information & FAQs

 

 

New patients requests are generally considered on a case-by-case basis. 

 

Due to overwhelming demand for services, new patients requests are generally being accepted on a referral basis only from the child's current therapy provider.  HOWEVER, in our commitment to provide the most high quality, individualized care possible, please feel free to send an email to request an appointment if you believe that your child's individual situation would benefit from our care, even if it does not fit this standard. 

 

Therapy providers: please contact our office via email if you wish to refer your patients for psychiatric assessment and treatment.  We are very interested in working with you to meet your patient's psychiatric needs. 

 

Please feel free to browse the resources on this website for general information regarding children, teens, and mental health care.  Crisis resources are also available.  

 

Unfortunately, assistance cannot be provided regarding individual requests for guidance/ advice, or for referrals to other providers.  Please do not call or email with these requests- they will not be returned due to time limitations.  

PLEASE NOTE: This information is provided as an attempt to allow families to decide if this practice is a good fit for their needs.  Prior to requesting a new patient appointment, please review the following information:

Common Questions

What is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist?
00_the_child_and_adolescent_psychiatris.[...]
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Would your child or teen benefit from an evaluation?
24_when_to_seek_help_for_your_child.pdf
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What happens during a complete evaluation with a Child Psychiatrist?
52_comprehensive_psychiatric_evaluation.[...]
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Services Available

 

The practice offers specialized treatment of the entire range of mental health conditions found in children and teens including, but not limited to, depression, anxiety, mood/ bipolar disorders, OCD, post traumatic stress disorder, grief/bereavement, ADHD, psychotic disorders, and behavioral disturbances in autism.   

Services available:

Services NOT available:

  • Evaluation/ Diagnosis
  • Treatment planning
  • Medication management of psychiatric conditions, if warranted
  • Consultation
  • Collaborative treatment with local therapists and primary care doctors
  • Psychotherapy- however referrals to qualified area therapists and psychologists will certainly be provided, as needed
  • Disability assessments or disability paperwork

New Patient Registration/ Scheduling

As the practice is limited to children and teens, the practice policy is that patients must be enrolled in care (i.e. have completed their evaluation with the doctor) prior to their high school graduation.  All others should be seeking care with/ referred to alternative treatment providers- general psychiatrists, primary care providers, etc.

 

Please be aware, common with most high demand medical specialists, there is often a significant wait for new patient evaluation appointments.  Generally, patients will not be accepted and scheduled for new patient evaluations unless they can be seen in the upcoming 4- 6 weeks in our practice.  Regretfully, a waitlist cannot be offered at this time.  

 

Each new patient evaluation is scheduled for one large block of time, generally 3 hours.

 

Due to the office hours schedule, the very high demand for services, and the need for timely follow-up in active treatment, the practice WILL NOT be able to accommodate seeing children or teens only outside of school hours.  Please do not expect or request this.

Emergent/ Urgent New Patient Evaluations

Unfortunately, due to the nature of the practice and demand for services, it is not possible to accommodate emergent or urgent new patient evaluations. 

 

Patients experiencing medical or psychiatric emergencies should immediately seek care at the nearest emergency room or call 911.  Additional Crisis Resources can be found here.

 

Patients with urgent medical or psychiatric needs are often referred to start or maintain care with their pediatrician or family physician until the time of the scheduled new patient evaluation.

Patient Portal

Click to review Portal information for new patients

Please Note: If a patient portal is not established and/ or all requested portal documents are not completed PRIOR to the start of the initial evaluation appointment, it will be necessary to reschedule the evaluation for a later date to allow time for completion of this necessary documentation.  Cancellation/ no show policy will be in effect in such circumstances.

Insurance and Payment

Services no longer needed?

New patient evaluations are limited and there is overwhelming demand for specialist services in child and adolescent psychiatry, therefore waiting to have an initial evaluation can be much longer than desired for many patients and families.  If a scheduled evaluation is no longer needed or desired, please inform the office via phone or email as soon as possible.  (At the very latest, the 5 business days prior to the date of evaluation.)  This will allow for other families to be offered this time slot.  Patients who do not adhere to this courtesy will generally not be permitted to reschedule. 

Office Policies

Please feel free to review these documents prior to your first appointment.  You will be asked to sign copies of these documents for submission into the medical record. 

Privacy Policy
2013 Oct HIPAA.pdf
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Consent for Treatment
SHIPS Consent for Treatment.pdf
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Financial Policy- updated Jan 2021
SHIPS Financial policy 2021-01-01.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [207.4 KB]
Credit Card Agreement
SHIPS 2015-02 Credit Card Authorization.[...]
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Note: You will need Adobe(r) Reader(r) to view PDF files. If you do not have it, you can download it for free.

LOCATION:

453 Valley Brook Road

Suite 500

McMurray, Pa 15317 

 

Ph: 724-941-8760

Fax:  724-941-8795

 

Email our office

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