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Our Practice

Location

Dr. Mehr Karamat sees patients that are residing either in California or Minnesota since those are the states she is currently licensed to practice medicine in.

Medications that are not Offered

Dr. Mehr Karamat does not prescribe any benzodiazepines.

During the COVID pandemic restrictions in regards to regulations around controlled substances have been lifted and relaxed and therefore technically Dr. Mehr Karamat could legally prescribe benzodiazepines via telepsychiatry at this time, however those guidelines keep changing and once they are reverted back to their original form, she will not be able to legally prescribe benzodiazepines for you due to not seeing you “in person” while treating you via telemedicine. For this reason she feels it is best to not even begin to prescribe something she may not be able to continue prescribing whenever regulations change, which could be sudden, as that could be more disruptive than beneficial to your care in the long run.  Benzodiazepines require tapering and cannot be stopped abruptly without the risk for serious withdrawal that can even include seizures, which is why Dr. Karamat has taken this stance in regards to them.

Dr. Karamat does however prescribe stimulant medications for ADHD for the time being since these medications do not pose risks similar to benzodiazepines if abruptly stopped.  Whenever the regulations (Ryan Haight Act) revert back to their original form, Dr. Karamat will have time to transition prescriptions to a primary care physician if needed.  

Additional Services Not Offered

We do not provide any legal evaluations/letters and/or certifications, which include but are not limited to disability paperwork including state disability, FMLA, workers compensation, emotional support animals, permanent school/work accommodations, etc. 

We do not provide clearances for surgical or any other medical procedures.

Types of Visits

Psychiatric Evaluation/Diagnostic Assessment (45 - 60 Minutes)

All treatment begins with a thorough diagnostic assessment. This is typically a 45-60 minute interview during which the doctor will review and assess the patient’s condition and symptoms. A complete medical history is recorded. The doctor will also collect additional information including family history, psycho-social and developmental history, and substance use history. When indicated the doctor may order lab work and/or imaging, request medical records, and gather collateral information from family or friends. The diagnostic assessment is completed during the initial visit. At the conclusion of the assessment the doctor will discuss the diagnoses and treatment options consisting of a combination of therapies including psychotherapy, behavioral modification, and medication.

Psychiatric Medication Management/Follow up Visit (15 - 30 Minutes)

Medication management appointments are brief appointments lasting 15-30 minutes. During these appointments the doctor will review and assess that patient’s response to medications as well as any potential side effects and other medical factors that may be related. Brief supportive therapy is included in this type of visit. Also the doctor may briefly discuss behavior modification and recommendations for psychotherapy.

Psychotherapy with Medication Management (45 Minutes)

Patients on medication that don’t require frequent medication adjustments and have been stable in that regard for some time, may want to continue working with their psychiatrist on an ongoing basis for a primarily psychotherapy based interaction.  In these visits medications will be discussed at certain intervals, however on a more frequent basis the therapeutic relationship will be established and built upon and therapy interventions will be used to help address concerns that the patient may have.  As psychiatrists we are trained in various different modalities of psychotherapy and will utilize them based on an individual patient’s needs.

Free Initial Phone Introduction (5 to 10 Minutes)

During this 5 to 10 minute phone call introductions are made to assess if you are a good fit for our practice and if Dr. Karamat is the right psychiatrist for you. This phone call does not establish a doctor patient relationship and it is not a consultation during which any medical advice will be given.

To schedule this initial introduction call us at 310-254-9397 or email connect@perinatalpsychiatricwellness.sprucecare.com

FAQs

Fees are due at the time of service during the initial evaluation.  A credit card will be stored in your chart and automatically charged at the time of each follow up visit. You will be asked to electronically sign a consent allowing us to store this information securely via our payment portal, which is Stripe.  Electronic payment is necessary to maximize time in session.  

We do have a strict no- show policy and you will be charged half the appointment fee if you are a no- show. If you are more than 10 minutes late for any appointment, you will be considered a no- show and charged accordingly.

 We charge a $15 fee for refills that are requested as a result of a no-show or late cancellation. These fees will be automatically charged when the refill is sent to your pharmacy.

All patients may cancel their appointment up to 48 hours in advance of their appointment to avoid a no-show or cancellation fee.  In order to reduce our no-show rate our clinic charges for any no-shows or cancellations within 48 hours of the appointment. 48 hours is needed in order for the clinic to schedule someone from the waiting list. 

Patients who do not present for their initial evaluation will not be rescheduled for an additional appointment if they have not communicated to Dr. Mehr Karamat regarding any emergent situations that may have impeded their ability to attend their appointment.

Patients with 2 no-shows or late cancellations (less than 48 hours of notice) will be discharged from Dr. Mehr Karamat’s care, with a 30-day supply of medication which gives them time to find a new provider to continue their care with.  Dr. Mehr Karamat is committed to providing care to patients that need it and patients who occupy scheduled time in her schedule without showing up take time away from other patients who are in need. 

Psychiatric Evaluation/Diagnostic Assessment (45-60 minutes) – $420

Psychiatric Medication Management/Follow up visit (15-30 minutes) – $220

Psychotherapy with Medication Management (45 Minutes) – $320

Refills due to no shows or late cancellations – $15

Letters – $30

Dr. Mehr Karamat and Perinatal Psychiatric Wellness accept the below insurances however also remain primarily a cash based practice who provide out of network care for patients that do not have any of the below mentioned insurances.

Dr. Mehr Karamat is accepting the below insurances:

  • Optum – (United Healthcare, United Healthcare Shared Services (UHSS), GEHA – United Healthcare Shared Services (UHSS), UnitedHealthcare Global, Oscar, Harvard Pilgrim, Oxford, UHC Student Resources, UMR, All Savers (UHC), Health Plans Inc, Bind
  • Aetna – (Meritain, Nippon, Allied Benefit Systems, GEHA – United Healthcare Shared Services (UHSS)
  • Cigna
  • Anthem Blue Cross
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield 
     

If desired, Dr. Mehr Karamat will be happy to provide you with a superbill that you can submit for partial or at times full reimbursement directly to your insurance provider.

FREE INSURANCE REIMBURSEMENT SUPPORT:
Reimbursify is a company that helps patients file out-of-network claims. Even though we don’t accept insurance, many insurance companies will reimburse you directly for appointment fees with us.

Our Practice is subscribed to Reimbursify’s Practice Pro plan to help simplify your process of getting reimbursed.

For cash-pay patients while we remain “out of network” to ensure great care for you, we also want to simplify the process of how you can utilize your insurance benefits while still getting the excellent care an “out of network” doctor can provide. We have been able to do this by subscribing to Reimbursify which allows us to check your out of network benefits and see what percentage of your fees paid to us is reimbursable. This really streamlines the process for you. Depending on your plan, you will usually get a percentage of what you already paid back to you, which can help offset the out-of-pocket cost of services. And that is not all! You can file the claim free with reimbursify under our practice without a charge due to our subscription with them via their app, or we can file it for you as well (free of charge).

We also, however, understand you may want to get reimbursed independently and may not want to utilize Reimbursify and in that situation, we would be happy to provide you with a superbill for each visit and you would file for reimbursement directly with your insurance company. If you choose this route, we have some guidelines below for you that may help simplify the process a little bit.

  • 1) Call your insurance carrier at the number listed on the back of your insurance card.
  • 2) Ask your insurance carrier what percentage is covered for “out-of-network” or “non-participating providers.
  • 3) Ask your insurance carrier if you have a deductible for an out-of-network provider and how much it is.
  • 4) Ask your insurance carrier what the “maximum allowed amount” is per session (this is sometimes referred to as “reasonable and customary fees”). They may ask you for geographical information such as the zipcode where the doctor practices. For us, that would be 91789, and the specialty which would be psychiatry.
  • If they ask for CPT/procedure codes. We utilize 99204 and 90833 for initial appointments (Psychiatric Evaluation) OR 90792 for Psychiatric diagnostic evaluation with medical services and
  • We utilize either 99214 with 90833 for follow up visits OR 99213 and 90833 . These codes for the follow up visits are for an outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient, with added therapy.

Please log-in approximately 10 minutes prior to session and you will be prompted to wait until you are let into the session.  Please call our office phone number if you are having technical difficulties. 

Of note paperwork and forms mentioned in the section below need to be completed at least 48 hours prior to your initial appointment.

Please create an account with CHARM upon scheduling your initial intake appointment.  For remote-video visits, you will be using this web-based program which is run through Zoom.  Please see both CHARM and Zoom’s terms of use and policies which should be maintained regularly.

You will be using this portal to complete and sign paperwork prior to your initial appointment. This paperwork needs to be completed at least 48 hours prior to your scheduled appointment, otherwise your appointment will be canceled.

Please also download the Spruce application which is used for secure messaging with our practice.  Although you can communicate with us via text messaging directly from your phone to our secure spruce line which is HIPPA compliant, the most secure way would be for you also to use the app on your end.