Frequently Asked Questions
A psychoeducational evaluation focuses on intellectual and academic functioning. A neuropsychological evaluation includes these domains, but also other areas such as attention, executive functioning, language, visual-perceptual, fine motor, learning and memory. Assessment of social, emotional, behavioral, and adaptive functioning is also part of the neuropsychological evaluation.
A neuropsychologist has the expertise to interpret and integrate test results in the context of how the brain is organized and functions, not just based on tests and domains. Our board-certified neuropsychologists have the highest level of training.
No, it does not include a brain MRI, head CT, or any other type of neuroimaging. Neuroimaging is completed at a medical or healthcare facility and needs to be ordered by a physician.
If your child has already had neuroimaging, please share a copy of the report because it helps us understand potential cause for developmental differences or delays, and it may map onto the results from neuropsychological testing. We will explain the neuroimaging to you in full detail using a brain model!
If you have concerns about brain health, after we review medical history, developmental history, and neuropsychological testing, we can refer you to a neurologist to request neuroimaging for your child.
There are 3 steps to the evaluation:
- Intake appointment,
- Evaluation appointment, and
- Test Results appointment.
It is typical to complete the Intake and Evaluation appointments within 1 week. The Test Results session follows the week after the Evaluation. The final report is typically provided within the week after the Test Results (and sometimes on or before the Test Results).
From Intake appointment to receipt of report, the process is typically completed within 2 to 3 weeks. Please let us know if you are under time constraints and we will try to accommodate you.
No! We are a new practice, so we are fortunate that we do not yet have a waiting list. To help avoid future waiting lists, we complete an initial consult with every family to ensure that we are a good fit for your family. If we are not the right fit, we will provide referral suggestions.
We should be able to schedule you within a month of when you initially contact us.
Schools have an incredible responsibility to nurture children through critical stages of development, with the ultimate goal of helping them find their place in the real world. We want the school to see your whole child, and to understand their strengths and weakness. The neuropsychological report will include lots of recommendations for the school, and if you are looking for a school change, we can help with that too.
Families are the MOST powerful influence in a child’s development. We know this from LOTS of research, even with the most critical and severe diagnoses. The way you love, accept, protect, communicate, address problems and conflicts, advocate, and provide resources (e.g., therapy, education, extracurricular activities, social opportunities, etc) can affect how you and your child grow during challenging stages. By learning as much as we can about your child, we can provide parents with recommendations for what to prioritize.
We tried! Extensive hours were spent completing online provider applications and uploading copies of diplomas and credentials. Then months were spent waiting for answers. Here are the obstacles that stood in the way of joining insurance panels:
- Some insurance companies told us their provider network was full. They were not taking more providers. How can that be with so many children on waiting lists?
- Some insurance companies shared the amount they would reimburse for services. It was a tiny fraction of what they pay healthcare. Why? Because we are a small business with no negotiating power. It would be impossible to run a small business at those reimbursement rates, which fall far below the market value for services.
- Providers are struggling to deal with a new problem called, “claw backs” or “take backs”. This is when the insurance company initially pays the provider for the service, but later decides that it was “not medically necessary” so the provider must pay the insurance company back. WHAT?! This has led many psychologists to leave insurance panels.
- Insurance companies are frequently changing the rules for billing. Even large healthcare organizations deal with frequent denials and unpaid claims. A billing team with expertise and dedication needs to continually change how they work with insurance companies. Our practice is too small to have a billing team.
- Insurance companies dictate how a psychologist can practice. Yet, they don’t have the expertise to make any clinical decisions. Despite this, they dictate how many hours are permitted to spend with a patient, what diagnoses that will be approved, and they may reject the types of tests the psychologist administers with the child. Did you know that some insurance companies in some states will not allow the psychologist to give any academic tests? How can a psychologist fully understand a child if they can’t measure their reading, writing, and math abilities? That’s just nonsense.
- Although we are not in network with insurance companies, we will provide you a superbill (receipt with all the documentation you need) that you can submit for out of network reimbursement. Visit the Rates and Insurance page of our website to see details. Some of our families have had success with getting at least part of the evaluation covered with out of network benefits.
- It takes a lot of time to complete a neuropsychological evaluation. Depending on the complexity of referral questions, developmental and medical history, age, number of records to review, length of time spent testing and scoring, consultation with other professionals or teachers, research needed for resources or community referrals, and report writing time, it can take anywhere from 10 to 15+ hours to complete an evaluation with a child.
- All medical and behavioral health services have a market value that is determined based on insurance companies and healthcare organizations. Smaller practices who are not part of healthcare and do not take insurance tend to use similar rates. Our rates are below the market value set by healthcare for neuropsychological services. In other words, if you used your private insurance to get a neuropsychological evaluation in the healthcare setting, the amount that (most) private insurance companies pay is much higher than what we charge. Similarly, if you were self-pay at a large healthcare organization, you would pay substantially more than at our practice.
- If your child has a neurological diagnosis (e.g., epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, brain tumor, or stroke, etc), you may be able to use your insurance to get a neuropsychological evaluation covered at a local children’s hospital. But this is still not guaranteed. Keep in mind that autism, learning disabilities, and other developmental disorders will not be considered a neurological diagnosis. Your child must have a medical diagnosis to schedule an initial appointment in a healthcare setting that takes insurance.
- If you are in Georgia, contact the Department of Neuropsychology at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta to learn more: 404-785-KIDS
- If you are not in Georgia, search hospitals in large nearby cities. Children’s hospitals typically have neuropsychologists who work with neurologists.
- Confirm that the neuropsychological evaluation will include more than a screening (unless a screening is okay with you). Some neuropsychologists in medical settings only have time for a brief evaluation due to high patient volumes.
- If you are concerned about autism, check to make sure this can be included as part of the evaluation. Some neuropsychologists in medical settings will not evaluate comprehensively for autism.
- If you are concerned about a learning disability (e.g., Dyslexia), ask if the insurance company will allow academic testing. Some states and insurance companies will not approve this. You may need to pay out of pocket for this part of the evaluation.
- Plan well in advance!! The waiting list for a neuropsychological evaluation can be between 6 and 12 months or longer in healthcare settings that take insurance.