Psychological Testing

PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING

If Referred for Testing, Please Read and Follow These Instructions:
Email the scheduler to book your initial appointment or call the front desk (who will then give the scheduler a message). Please disclose your insurance carrier or intent to self pay. Note that insurance companies vary widely on testing coverage. You may need pre-approval or authorization for testing and it is the client's responsibility to know this information before hand. If you have questions about coverage, call our office at (208) 883-1144 and ask for billing.

**At this time, testing is arranged by a separate scheduler from the rest of the office.  Please reach out to Sarah using her email.**
The scheduler will email you several electronic documents that contain standard office procedures and agreements.  In addition, there will be a Q&A document and a pre-assessment questionnaire.  Please read and complete these documents prior to your initial appointment with Dr. Bergdahl.  These documents will also grant you access to our online patient portal which is used for scheduling, bill payment, document passing, and messaging with your provider.
We offer (1)ADHD, (2)Learning Disability, and (3)psychological testing.  ADHD tests may be (4)repeated as a part of treatment and if medications change.  If your EPS provider wishes you to have a (5)single test, this may be scheduled directly with that provider.  Due to developmental milestones, Dr. Bergdahl only tests kids and adults age 8 and above.  For children 7 and under, please refer to a child psychologist.

**WE DO NOT provide evaluations involving child custody, divorce, legal proceedings, or other such needs.  Psych evaluations are for personal use and for making diagnosis and treatment decisions only.**
When booking your appointment, please tell the scheduler what kind of evaluation you want.  Sarah will book ALL your appointments necessary to complete the evaluation including feedback.  If you change your mind and do not wish to follow through with the scheduled evaluation, please cancel at least one week prior to the first visit so we have time to schedule someone else.  Missed appointments will result in cancellations of all follow-up appointments. 

**You will be asked for a debit/credit card in the intake paperwork.  This must be provided within 7 days from scheduling your initial appointments or they will be cancelled.  If you fail to cancel or show to a scheduled appointment, you will be charged a fee of $100 per hour scheduled.**

What to expect

Testing is a complex process.  There are no single "best practice" procedure of how testing must be done.  Different providers may have differing opinions, especially concerning self/informant-report and cognitive test ratio.  Here at EPS, we do both.  Testing is divided into four parts:

 

  1. An initial interview called a Psychological Evaluation where information on symptoms and background is talked about.  
  2. Testing for a number of hours (usually 1-4) using multiple methods of self/informant-report and cognitive performance tests.
  3. Without the client present, your provider then scores all the tests, interprets them together to get a whole picture, and then a report is written.  This process takes several hours and is reflected in billable hours. 
  4. A feedback session where results are discussed, the report is given, and a discussion of next steps and treatment is done. 
  5. An optional 5th step is to remain in treatment for the diagnosis given.  This may or may not be needed, and a different provider may be used. 
  6. Records of testing are only given to the client. If they need to be sent elsewhere, this must be communicated with your provider.

 

costs

Testing costs are similar to other forms of psychotherapy or counseling; however, hours occur clustered all at once rather than spread out over multiple weeks or months.  Because of this, testing can feel expensive and is often a burden financially.  Here are a few steps to minimize this impact:

 

  • Check with your insurance provider and make sure you understand your benefits, copayment, deductible, and co-insurance.  Plans vary even under the same carrier.  Just because testing is "covered" by your carrier, there may still be a cost to you depending on deductible status.
  • If you are paying out of pocket, we charge $195 for the initial evaluation, and then $140 for each hour thereafter.  We offer a 10% discount if paying the full amount after the final visit ends (cash only; does not apply to insurance co-payments).  **This amount is subject to change based on economic trends.**
  • We do not offer financing; however, a payment plan can be negotiated in some cases. This is not an assumed right.
  • A sliding scale may be available depending on financial need based on the provider's discretion. You must ask as this will not automatically be pursued. Do not assume you re entitled to this.
  • As with other appointments, a $100 no-show or late-cancel fee will be applied to your card on file.  When you schedule a new evaluation, a card will be taken for this purpose.  We ask 24-hours notice minimum for any changes or cancellations of appointments. 
  • Truant payments may be charged to your card on file if you do not respond to attempts to collect payment.  Failure to pay a bill or failure for auto-withdrawal will result in the use of a collections agency.

 

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