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Writer's pictureDr. Leilani Sharpe

Psychiatric Clinics: Insurance Matters

Updated: Nov 11, 2021


Dr. Leilani Sharpe is a licensed and board certified psychiatrist specializing in child psychiatry and adult psychiatry. She is the founder of Parkside Consulting and her office is located in Santa Monica, California.

Psychiatry is no different from other specialties in the US, in that a person's care can be affected by their insurance status.


With psychiatry, seeing a provider through insurance usually introduces the concept of "medication management appointments".


Medication management appointments are a model of care where appointments with a psychiatrist are reserved for prescription services only. All other services are usually provided through other types of psychotherapy providers associated with the clinic. Therefore, a person's mental health care then usually becomes a combination of medication management and psychotherapy appointments, with each arm of mental health care led by a different provider.


Due to their more limited scope, medication management appointments may be shorter than other types of psychiatric appointments. Common models today typically allow 45-60 minutes to meet with a new patient, complete an intake assessment, and any associated documentation. Follow-up appointments are between 15-30 minutes for adjusting your treatment plan and any required documentation.

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