Frequently Asked Questions
New patients
Getting started
Are you accepting new patients?
Yes. Lakeridge Psychiatry is accepting new patients throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth area. You may schedule an evaluation by calling 972-332-5922 or booking online.
Do I need a referral?
No. A referral is not required to schedule an appointment with Lakeridge Psychiatry, although some insurance plans require one for coverage. Prior records are helpful if you have them, but they are not required in order to be seen.
What ages do you see?
We see patients 16 and older.
How do I schedule?
You may call our office at 972-332-5922 or book an appointment online. After scheduling, intake forms are sent through the patient portal and should be completed before your visit.
Can my first appointment be by video?
No. Initial psychiatric evaluations take place in our office, and this applies to every new patient. Once you are established as a patient, follow-up appointments may be conducted by video.
What should I bring to my first visit?
A photo ID, your current medications — the bottles are ideal — and whatever prior records you have, including previous evaluations, testing, and laboratory results. If your intake forms are not done, arrive early enough to finish them.
Can I bring someone with me?
Yes. You are welcome to bring a family member, partner, or friend to your appointment. Their observations are often helpful, and you may decide how much of the visit they take part in.
Visits
Visits and appointments
How long is the first appointment?
The initial psychiatric evaluation is 60 minutes and takes place in our office. The fee is $450.
How long are follow-up visits?
Follow-up appointments are scheduled as either a 25-minute medication follow-up or a 50-minute medication-plus-therapy follow-up, depending on your treatment plan. The fees are $200 and $300 respectively.
How often will I be seen?
How often you are seen is a clinical decision based on your treatment plan. Appointments are usually more frequent early in treatment and after a medication change, and may be spaced further apart as symptoms stabilize. Patients receiving prescriptions from this practice are seen at least every three months, and controlled substances generally require shorter intervals.
What happens at the first visit?
Sixty minutes, in our office. We go through your history, your current symptoms, what has been tried before, your medical conditions, and what you want out of treatment, and we end the visit with a working diagnosis, a plan, and a follow-up appointment on the calendar.
Will I leave the first visit with a prescription?
Sometimes. It depends on what the evaluation finds. If more is needed first — prior records, laboratory testing, or a second appointment to finish the assessment — we will tell you what and why. The evaluation of ADHD commonly takes more than one visit.
What if I need to reschedule?
You may reschedule online or by calling 972-332-5922. Changes made at least 24 hours before the appointment carry no fee. Inside 24 hours, the online system will not permit a change and you will need to call the office.
What is the cancellation policy?
The fee for a missed appointment, or for an appointment cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice, is $100. It applies to every type of visit, including video visits. The fee may be waived at the physician's discretion for good cause.
Cost
Insurance and payment
Do you take insurance?
Not yet. Credentialing is underway with commercial insurers in Texas, with Medicare, and with Medicare Advantage plans, and each plan is added to the Insurance and Fees page on its effective date. Until your plan appears there, your care is self-pay.
What does a visit cost?
An initial psychiatric evaluation is 60 minutes at $450, a medication follow-up is 25 minutes at $200, and a medication-plus-therapy follow-up is 50 minutes at $300. TMS and Spravato are quoted individually and in writing before treatment begins.
Can I get reimbursed by my insurance?
Possibly, depending on your plan. We provide an itemized receipt, sometimes called a superbill, that you may submit to your insurer for out-of-network reimbursement if your plan offers that benefit. We recommend contacting your insurer beforehand to ask about out-of-network coverage for outpatient psychiatric care.
How do I pay?
Payment is due at the time of the visit. We accept credit and debit cards, HSA and FSA cards, and checks.
Do you charge interest on balances?
No. We never charge interest, and there is no finance charge, service charge, or carrying charge on any balance.
What if I cannot pay a balance all at once?
We offer interest-free payment plans, and we offer them before any account is referred for collection. Please ask at the front desk or call the office at 972-332-5922. Care is not withheld because of an unpaid balance.
Will TMS or Spravato be covered by my insurance?
Most commercial insurance plans cover TMS for depression, and Spravato for treatment-resistant depression, when certain criteria are met — typically including documented trials of antidepressant medication. Our office handles the prior authorization process and will keep you informed along the way. If you are paying out of pocket, we will provide a written quote before treatment begins.
Call 972-332-5922 to schedule, or book online. If you have a question first, call the office and we will answer it.
Your care
Treatment
Will I have to take medication?
No. Medication is recommended when it is indicated, and that determination is made after an evaluation. Some treatment plans include medication, some include therapy, and some include both.
Will I be on medication forever?
Not necessarily. How long a medication is continued depends on the condition being treated, on your history, and on how you respond. We reassess which medications remain necessary at regular intervals, and where a medication can be reduced or discontinued safely, we will discuss that with you.
Do you offer therapy?
Yes, within our 50-minute medication-plus-therapy follow-up appointments, using evidence-based approaches. We do not offer therapy as a standalone service or schedule weekly therapy hours; where weekly standalone therapy is appropriate, we will refer you to a therapist and coordinate care.
Do you offer TMS?
Yes. We provide transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in our office using the MagVenture system. TMS is FDA-cleared for major depressive disorder in patients who have not responded adequately to antidepressant medication.
Do you offer Spravato?
Yes. Lakeridge Psychiatry is a certified Spravato treatment center. Esketamine (Spravato) is FDA-approved for treatment-resistant depression and is taken together with an oral antidepressant. Every dose is self-administered in our office under supervision, and you remain in the office for monitoring for at least two hours afterward.
How long does an antidepressant take to work?
Antidepressant medications generally require several weeks at an adequate dose before their full effect can be assessed, and some improvement in sleep, appetite, or energy may be noticed earlier than a change in mood. We will discuss the expected timeline when a medication is started and will keep in contact with you during that period.
Can I get a second opinion here?
Yes. A second opinion is scheduled as a standard psychiatric evaluation. Prior records are particularly helpful for this purpose, and we will request them with your written authorization if you would like us to.
Do you coordinate with my other doctors?
Yes, with your written authorization. We write to primary care physicians, therapists, neurologists, and anyone else treating you, and we ask for their records when they bear on your psychiatric care.
Refills
Medications and refills
How do I request a refill?
Refill requests may be submitted through the patient portal or by your pharmacy. Please request refills at your appointments where possible, rather than when you are close to running out.
Can I get a refill without an appointment?
Yes, if you are within the interval your treatment plan calls for, which is at most three months. Once that interval has passed, an appointment is offered rather than a refill. A refill is also not issued when the dose or medication is changing, when required monitoring is overdue, or when there is a question we would prefer to address in person.
What is your approach to medications for anxiety and sleep?
Medications in the class that includes alprazolam, clonazepam, lorazepam, and diazepam work quickly but are not intended for long-term daily use, and they are not our first treatment for anxiety, panic, PTSD, or insomnia. If you are already taking one, we will not stop it abruptly and we will not continue it automatically; we will assess it and build a plan with you. The full policy is on the Clinic Policies page.
Do you require drug testing?
Urine drug testing may be required at any time for patients receiving controlled substances, including at the first visit and at intervals afterward, on a scheduled or unannounced basis. Testing is used to guide clinical decisions, and an unexpected result leads to a conversation about the treatment plan.
Video visits
Telehealth
Do you offer video visits?
Yes, for follow-up appointments, conducted through the patient portal. Initial evaluations take place in our office. Telehealth is available to patients located anywhere in Texas at the time of the visit.
What do I need for a video visit?
You will need a smartphone, tablet, or computer with a working camera and microphone, a reliable internet connection, and a private place where you can speak freely. You must be physically located in Texas at the time of the visit, and you may not join a visit while driving.
Does the cancellation policy apply to video visits?
Yes. The $100 fee for a missed appointment or an appointment cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice applies to video visits in the same way it applies to office visits.
Scope and paperwork
Policies
Do you complete FMLA, disability, or workers' compensation evaluations?
New patient appointments are for evaluation and medication management only. We do not schedule evaluations for FMLA, disability, or workers' compensation. We do complete this paperwork for established patients, meaning patients who have been in treatment with us for about three months, during a scheduled visit and at no charge.
Do you write emotional support animal letters?
We may, for established patients, at a scheduled visit, and where the record supports one. Such a letter describes the diagnosis, the functional limitations, and the treatment the physician has observed and provided. It does not certify that a particular animal or housing arrangement is required, because that determination belongs to the housing provider.
Do you perform court-ordered, forensic, or custody evaluations?
No. Lakeridge Psychiatry does not provide court-ordered, forensic, or custody evaluations of any kind. We would refer you to a forensic psychiatrist for that purpose.
Do you treat eating disorders?
Eating disorders are not a specialty focus of this practice. When an eating disorder is the primary concern, we refer to a specialty program, since that treatment requires a coordinated team. Where depression or anxiety occurs alongside an eating disorder, we may treat those conditions alongside specialty care.
Do you provide detox, inpatient, or residential treatment?
No. We are an outpatient practice and do not provide medically supervised detoxification, inpatient treatment, residential treatment, or intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization programs. When a higher level of care is appropriate, we will discuss it with you and arrange a referral, and we can resume care with you afterward.
Who can see my records?
Your medical record is confidential. We use and disclose your health information for treatment, payment, and the operation of the practice, and otherwise only with your written authorization or where the law requires or permits it. Nothing is disclosed to a family member without your written authorization, and records of substance use treatment carry additional protections under federal regulations.
Urgent help
Emergencies
What should I do in an emergency?
Are you available after hours?
Our office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The portal is not monitored in the evenings, on weekends, or on holidays, and non-emergency calls and messages received after hours are picked up when the office reopens. For anything that cannot wait, call 911, go to the nearest emergency room, or call or text 988.
What if I am having thoughts of suicide?
If your question is not answered here, call the office and we will answer it.
Contact
Still have a question?
Call 972-332-5922 and we will answer it. A question about a specific medication or symptom is usually better handled at a visit, and we will say so if that is the case.
If you are ready to schedule, you may call the same number or book online. New patients begin with an evaluation in our office, and what to expect at that visit is described on the Get Started page.