Rates & Insurance
Insurance
The Lieber Clinic is primarily a self-pay clinic, although we do accept AETNA student, AETNA commercial, CHP NYU student, and UHC Columbia plans. For those wishing to submit to their health insurance plans, we will provide paid statements which you may submit to your insurance company. Each insurance company and each plan has a different reimbursement policy and schedule. Please check your benefits directly with your insurance provider. Please note that some services offered at the Lieber Clinic are not reimbursable by insurance even if you have out of network benefits. We do not accept Medicaid and Medicare.
Codes
If you plan to submit your bills to your insurance company, we suggest you call IN ADVANCE of making an appointment with us, to verify what the plan will cover and if they require any precertification information. You can let them know that you are seeking outpatient group psychotherapy at the Columbia Psychiatric Associates which is an out of network provider. We bill most of our groups using procedural code CPT 90853. Exceptions to this are Academic Support groups and Employment Support groups which are all billed as "unspecified service" using the code CPT 91999. Please note that this is NOT a covered code. Insurance companies will either immediately deny coverage or ask for additional information. Regardless of what is provided, these services will not be covered and have to be considered out of pocket expenses in their entirety. Recovery coaching and individual supported employment and education are also a non-covered service and is billed using code CPT 99199 and will not be reimbursed. AETNA does not provide coverage for Academic/Employment support services or individual coaching services and patients with AETNA opting for these services will have to pay out of pocket.
Billing
Patients are required to provide credit card information during the intake process. The credit card information is kept on file and is charged on a weekly basis for services received in the program. Statements marked 'paid' are mailed weekly to the patient and/or the financially responsible party. If the patient prefers to pay by check, payment must be made prospectively for 1 month of treatment. If for any reason the patient cannot or does not wish to remain in treatment, the unused portion of their monthly pre-payment will be refunded.
Attendance Policy
Once clients have been assigned a weekly schedule of groups at the program, which occurs after the initial intake appointment, clients are expected to have a 100% rate of attendance. Improvements in symptoms and functioning only occur with consistent attendance. Further, group members rely on the presence of their peers. Absences therefore have an impact at both the individual and group levels. Therefore, absences that are not approved in advance or are not the result of a serious medical illness, will be charged in full.
Clients are permitted to take 2 weeks of planned vacation and are excused for medical appointments, job and school interviews, and religious holidays. Clients are asked to fill out a vacation request form, available at the reception desk, and have it approved and signed by their assigned coordinator in advance of any planned absences.
Individual Mental Health Provider Policy
Clients at the Lieber Clinic are required to work with an individual psychiatrist, and in some cases, a therapist as well, prior to beginning treatment at the Lieber Clinic and for the duration of the treatment. Most of our clients continue to see their community based doctors. We can also provide referrals for both in-house and community-based providers as needed.
Communication
Once a client has completed their intake interview and given a schedule of groups, they are assigned a treatment coordinator. The coordinator is a Lieber Clinic staff member, as is the person responsible for monitoring a client's attendance, coordinating care with physicians and family, and the person to whom the client and the family should speak should there be questions or concerns. Current clients who are unsure of their coordinator can ask any group leader or the front desk for their coordinator's name.
Should the client or the family have any immediate concerns of a life threatening nature, they should call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Once in emergency care, please inform the psychiatrist and the Lieber Clinic coordinator.