FAQ
1. What are your fees?
2. What are the procedure codes for getting reimbursed?
3. Do you take insurance? How can I get reimbursed?
4. What are your office hours?
5. How can I make an appointment?
6. How far in advance does one need to make an appointment?
7. What if I have to cancel an appointment?
8. Do you do extended time testing? What is entailed?
9. How do I get special accommodations?
10. I've never been diagnosed with ADD, but I feel I have symptoms. What can I do?
11. What alternatives to medication do you offer?
12. What types of tests do you give? What are they for?
13. How long does testing take?
14. Do you give a diagnosis after testing?
15. Do you test children?
16. Who does the testing?
17. What are your qualifications?
18. Can you tell me more about ADD and learning disabilities?
Fees vary based on the practitioner who renders the service and the specific services required. The following are prices for commonly performed services. These prices are valid for services completed in the expected number of hours. If a case requires more time than usual (e.g., extra testing is required if patient is late, or if a more extensive report is required), extra hours are billed at the usual rate. Please click on the services to find out more.
| Service: | Fee: |
| Learning Disability Testing with 2 page report | $1200 |
| Extended Time Testing with Full Report | $1700 |
| Brief ADD Battery with 2 page report | $700 |
| Full ADD Evaluation with 2 page report | $1200 |
| Full ADD Evaluation with Full Report | $1700 |
| QEEG Evaluation | $800 |
| EEG Biofeedback | $100-$175/session |
| Cognitive Remediation | $100-$175/session |
| Psychotherapy | $175/session |
All prices for the above assessments assume that a graduate student is doing the testing; psychotherapy is done with Dr. Thomas. If the testing is done by Dr. Thomas and Senior staff, the fee is $225 per hour. The length of time is still the same, an estimated 15 hours of professional time, of which 8 hours is actual testing time. Sometimes extra testing is recommended.
2. What are the procedure codes for getting reimbursed?
CPT codes (Current Procedural Terminology) are procedural codes for professional healthcare services, and they are needed to find out to what extent your insurance company will reimburse a particular procedure.
CPT codes for services offered by The Brain Clinic are as follows:
| Service: | CPT Code: |
| Initial consultation | 90801 |
| Neuropsychological Testing | 96118 |
| Psychotherapy | 90806 |
| Cognitive Remediation (billed in 15 minute units) | 97532 |
| Quantitative EEG | 95816, 95957, 99090 |
| Biofeedback (any kind) | 90901 |
3. Do you take insurance? How can I get reimbursed?
Insurance assignment is usually not accepted, but we can help you get reimbursed. This is because it is so unpredictable what they pay, even if they make an agreement over the phone. Patients are personally responsible for all fees, and payment is due at the time services are rendered. A receipt can be given so that you can file it with your insurance company to get reimbursed. Additionally, any insurance forms should be completely filled out so that only the doctor's signature is required. Please read our office policies for more detailed information.
4. What are your office hours?
The Brain Clinic's office hours are 10am-7pm on weekdays and 10am-5pm on most Saturdays. Please click here to learn more about making an appointment.
5. How can I make an appointment?
Information on scheduling a visit to the Brain Clinic can be found on the Make an Appointment page. All appointment requests should be accompanied by a Policy Agreement form. Neuropsychological, ADD and LD testing require a deposit and an accompanying form that can be downloaded on the Make an Appointment page. Please read the instructions on that page to learn the procedure for the service you require.
6. How far in advance does one need to make an appointment?
Appointments are often available within a few weeks of contacting the Brain Clinic. Generally, if a detailed written report is required (e.g., for special accommodations or extended time requests), 2 weeks after testing is needed for the report to be completed. Click here to find out how to make an appointment.
7. What if I have to cancel an appointment?
The Brain Clinic requires 48 hours notice for cancellations. Patients are expected to pay for sessions that are cancelled with less than 48 hours notice.
8. Do you do extended time testing? What is entailed?
We do a great deal of testing for applications for extended time. The requirements of applying for extended time on standardized tests are demanding and vary from one testing organization to another. You must build a case for your request which includes extensive testing, a detailed report, as well as additional materials such as old school records, letters from doctors, tutors, family members and teachers. Please click here to learn about extended time requirements, which are generally needed for any request for accommodations. Please note that the earlier you start, the better chance you have of building a strong case. Also note that although Dr. Thomas has a high rate of success with these cases, there is no guarantee that your request will be granted.
9. How do I get special accommodations?
The procedure for requesting special accommodations is similar to that for requesting extended time, addressed in the question above. Depending on the institution receiving the request, requirements may be more or less demanding. Dr. Thomas can help determine exactly how much testing and supplemental material would be helpful for your case. However, it is your responsibility to find out what the specific requirements and expectations are. Usually, the information for extended time requirements can be found on the testing organization's web site.
10. I've never been diagnosed with ADD, but I feel I have symptoms. What can I do?
Many adults with ADD have never been diagnosed, since the condition was not commonly recognized when they were children. Yet ADD is not something that one usually "grows out of," and it can continue to affect a person's life well beyond childhood. The specific elements used in diagnosing ADD are discussed in this article entitled "How is ADD Diagnosed?" If you believe this applies to you, you should schedule an appointment with Dr. Thomas for an initial consultation to ask questions and decide if testing is right for you. The best way to define the problem is testing. The least expensive assessment is the Brief ADD Battery offered by the Brain Clinic. A Full ADD testing is also available.
There are a range of treatment options available to those with ADD. Whether or not you have the disorder, getting diagnosed is the first step towards determining what treatments are going to be best for your particular problems.
11. What alternatives to medication do you offer?
TThe Brain Clinic does not prescribe medication at the present time (but will be able to soon), but uses various effective treatment methods to help patients cope with and overcome their particular problem. Please click on the links to learn more about each treatment option.
Cognitive remediation - For learning disabilities and other problems in brain dysfunction, cognitive remediation is often recommended. This consists of structured exercises designed to improve weak cognitive abilities. Cognitive remediation can also be used to improve a person’s score on standardized tests, such as the SAT, ACT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT and others.
Psychotherapy - Dr. Thomas is available for individual psychotherapy sessions during weekdays for those with ADD, LD, or most other psychological conditions.
EEG Biofeedback - This new treatment modality has been shown to be effective in treating ADD, stroke, mild head injury and other neurological and immunological conditions. It involves the patient learning to modify brain waves in ways that are known to be helpful for that particular person's electrophysiology.
Coaching - Coaching is a collaborative relationship designed to help people achieve their goals. Usually it is a relationship that lasts over time, with regular contacts on the phone or in person in which goals, plans and the client's progress are reviewed.
12. What types of tests do you give? What are they for?
For the Brief ADD Battery, measures are given to assess verbal and visual memory, an estimate of overall IQ, abstract reasoning, attention, personality, and concentration, as well as typical ADD symptoms. For full evaluations, a full intelligence battery (Wechsler scale) is given, plus additional cognitive and achievement measures. For neuropsychological evaluations, visual and verbal memory tests are given as well as those having to do with executive functioning.
13. How long does testing take?
This depends on the type of evaluation being done. Please click on the links below to learn more about each type of evaluation. Note that these time estimates are based on an average evaluation. If a patient requires additional testing in order to further delineate a specific deficiency and/or tests very slowly, additional time might be necessary. The following estimates are for face-to-face testing time only. An additional 90 minutes in the office is needed to fill out personality inventories. Report writing takes about 7 additional hours (for a full report).
| Type of Testing: | Testing Time (hours): |
| Learning Disability | 8 to 9 |
| Full Attention Deficit Disorder | 8 to 9 |
| Brief Attention Deficit Disorder | 4.5 |
| Combined LD and ADD | 9 |
| Extended Time | 8 to 9 |
14. Do you give a diagnosis after testing?
Upon completion of testing, the Brain Clinic gives a diagnosis in the report. However, it is important to note that as the testing becomes more extensive, more definition can be brought to the diagnosis. Therefore, it is recommended to test as much as you can afford. In the case of the Brief ADD Evaluation offered by the Brain Clinic, the diagnosis offered is usually sufficient for the purpose of a patient's personal information, but would not be sufficient in requesting special accommodations. In any case where the goal is receiving extended time, special accommodations, or a well-defined, differential diagnosis, full testing is required. Additionally, one cannot obtain an official diagnosis of learning disability without having a fill IQ,such as from the Wechsler scales.
he Brain Clinic has a well-qualified pediatric neuropsychologist who has extensive experience with testing children. Dr. Krishnamurthy is available for testing individuals under the age of 16. Dr. Thomas does assessments for children, adolescents and adults.
Testing is performed by both senior staff, or qualified, senior level graduate students. Dr. Thomas can do all of the testing, but this increases the cost of the evaluation. Dr. Krishnamurthy ordinarily does testing of children. Graduates students are currently available to do both children and adults.
17. What are your qualifications?
JJames Lawrence Thomas, PhD, Director of the Brain Clinic, is a clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist who has been in practice for more than 26 years. Please click here for a detailed account of his qualifications. Other staff qualifications can be found here. Graduate students are from the Doctoral Programs at CUNY and Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
18. Can you tell me more about ADD and learning disabilities?
Dr. Thomas has written several articles relating to ADD and LD. Reading these is a good starting point for learning more about these topics. Additionally, there is a wealth of literature relating to ADD and LD, including numerous books for lay people and affected individuals. You can also get his book Do you have attention deficit disorder? on Amazon.com.