$10,000 for a neuropsych eval?

[HeidiD]

I just found out from our insurance company that they've received a bill for almost $10,000 (not including the amount we paid directly out of pocket for educational testing!). The evaluation was a one-day event and lasted around 5 hours. The findings were so out-of-sync with reality that we didn't even go for a follow-up meeting to review them with the doctor.

 

Is this charge typical?

[specialmama]

NO! It must be a typo.

We had a 10 hour evaluation done privately in Toronto with the top guy, and it cost $1,200 and we got a 12 page thorough report complete with recommendations. I'd assume it's a typo. Have you called to ask that?

[HeidiD]

NO! It must be a typo.

We had a 10 hour evaluation done privately in Toronto with the top guy, and it cost $1,200 and we got a 12 page thorough report complete with recommendations. I'd assume it's a typo. Have you called to ask that?

 

You'd think so, wouldn't you?!!!

 

But no, that's what they're charging. Ironically, I had another practice picked out initially, but the insurance company directed us to this one ("an approved provider"). :tongue_smilie:

[specialmama]

WOW. That sounds like a scam to me! Did you get anything worthwhile out of the evaluation?

[iammommy]

I have never heard of a fee that high. $2,000 maybe, but NOT $10,000.00

 

Exactly what is included in this fee?

 

Nan

[Julie in CA]

Ugh! We paid $5000. for my ds's neuropsych evaluation about 8 years ago, intending to have ongoing guidance. Called back about 2 years later, and the doctor (along with his wife, who was also his neuropsych partner) *had left town*. No notification, no forwarding address, no custodian of records, NOTHING! The receptionist at our pediatrician's office lived down the street from the neuropsych, was friends with them, and said that one day they were just gone and their house was empty. :001_huh: We didn't have the money to repeat the evaluation with a new doc, so we have stumbled along for all of these years without the help. :glare:

[HeidiD]

WOW. That sounds like a scam to me! Did you get anything worthwhile out of the evaluation?

 

Yes, it seems ridiculously high, doesn't it?

 

We had it done as a prerequisite for CAPD testing, so at least we'll be able to use the report to go ahead with that.

[HeidiD]

I have never heard of a fee that high. $2,000 maybe, but NOT $10,000.00

 

Exactly what is included in this fee?

 

Nan

 

They met with us for an "intake meeting", lasting about an hour.

 

Then, on a different day, he went for tests: WISC, WIAT, VMI, RCFT, NEPSY, CVLT, D-KEFS, & ADOS. I also filled out several behavioral rating scales.

 

Lastly, they wrote a report. Half of the report was devoted to a recitation of the test results, and the other half was devoted to justifiying a PDD-NOS diagnosis, which they then admitted they couldn't make since he doesn't fit the criteria. :confused:

 

They also called me on the phone with follow-up questions (then misquoted me in the report:tongue_smilie:). Maybe that falls under "billable hours"? :lol:

[HeidiD]

Ugh! We paid $5000. for my ds's neuropsych evaluation about 8 years ago, intending to have ongoing guidance. Called back about 2 years later, and the doctor (along with his wife, who was also his neuropsych partner) *had left town*. No notification, no forwarding address, no custodian of records, NOTHING! The receptionist at our pediatrician's office lived down the street from the neuropsych, was friends with them, and said that one day they were just gone and their house was empty. :001_huh: We didn't have the money to repeat the evaluation with a new doc, so we have stumbled along for all of these years without the help. :glare:

 

 

That's terrible!!! We won't be doing this again, either. :tongue_smilie:

[Guest]

NO NO NO. Dd had eleven hours of testing spread over several days, plus I spent around five hours in interviews and discussions with the neuropsych, received a 28-paged, single-spaced report -- total cost was around $1400. This was three years ago in a major city.

[specialmama]

Heidi, you really ought to fight this. It is robbery! Just plain robbery. Tell them that THEY need a psychological evaluation if they think their cost is acceptable.

[*~Tina~*]

Heidi, you really ought to fight this. It is robbery! Just plain robbery. Tell them that THEY need a psychological evaluation if they think their cost is acceptable.

 

 

:iagree:

 

Does your insurance company contract with them in a manner they absolves you from charges that are beyond "usual and customary"?

 

I'd probably start by calling to request an itemized statement of each charge.

[EKS]

Yikes!

 

If they are an approved provider, it is very likely that the insurance company will be paying a completely different amount that will probably be far less than $10000.

 

Even so...

 

I would expect a maximum charge of around $2000 for these services. Every place I've ever dealt with for evaluations of my son has been *very* clear about the charges to expect before I even set foot in the door. I would be asking them to justify a $1000 per hour charge (including an estimated charge for 5 hours of report writing).

[RamonaQ]

This amount is insane!!!!!! We paid $3000 and insurance covered about half.

[LizzyBee]

We paid about $1,200 for one and $1,350 for the other for an Educational Psychologist through our local university Psychoeducational Clinic. That covered about 2 hours intake, 2 hours follow-up meeting, and 12 hours of testing (6 hours per child) spread over 2 days. We were told to expect about $3,500 - $5,000 if we went with a private provider or neuropsychologist. I have never heard of anyone charging $10,000.

[PeterPan]

Wow ladies, I never DREAMED it could be that expensive. It has sort of been on my hit list to try with dd, simply because I'd like clear info on her. But wow I can make a lot of curriculum mistakes for that much money, mercy.

[lulubelle]

That is a total ripoff! I would think the insurance company will investigate it.

[HeidiD]

That is a total ripoff! I would think the insurance company will investigate it.

 

Yes, they informed me that they are looking into this. They also told me that they can bill whatever they want - it doesn't mean they're going to get it. And that they might be overbilling as a tax write-off. :tongue_smilie:

 

It freaked me out, because I paid for the educational testing (not covered, of course) and also a co-payment before I could even book an appointment, and it was my understanding that were we not insured, the cost of this type of eval would be between $2K and $5K out-of-pocket, including the educational assessment.

 

For any of you who might also be considering a neuropsych, here's another lesson we've learned the hard way. :tongue_smilie: I see that some of your responses indicate that your kids met with the neuropsych more than once, rather than the one-day deal we had. (In fact, even the speech therapist who also evaluated ds for the CAPD testing met with him twice - her policy, in order to get the most accurate assessment of the child she's testing). This wasn't the case with the neuropsychs we dealt with, and I think it contributed to their seriously flawed assessment of ds (and makes the bill even more shocking! :eek:).

 

In hindsight, I think it's really important to spread the evaluation over at least two meetings on different days in order to receive a thorough and accurate assessment, rather than jamming it into a few hours in a single day. If any of my other kids were to need a neuropsych eval in future, I wouldn't go with any doctor who takes what I now realize is a quick and dirty approach. :tongue_smilie:

[VA6336]

I'd request an itemized bill, as someone else suggested. They might have simply made a coding mistake. My last csection (totally routine, nothing unusual or emergency about it) I got a bill for over $30,000. That was after insurance had paid and we met our deductible. :confused: After demanding (multiple times) to see an itemized statement from the hospital, I discovered that there was a charge for a PACEMAKER!! Once I figured that out, the hospital took care of it from there and sorted things out with the insurance company (who I faxed a copy of the bill, just in case!).

 

So maybe it's just a simple mistake?

[HeidiD]

I'd request an itemized bill, as someone else suggested. They might have simply made a coding mistake. My last csection (totally routine, nothing unusual or emergency about it) I got a bill for over $30,000. That was after insurance had paid and we met our deductible. :confused: After demanding (multiple times) to see an itemized statement from the hospital, I discovered that there was a charge for a PACEMAKER!! Once I figured that out, the hospital took care of it from there and sorted things out with the insurance company (who I faxed a copy of the bill, just in case!).

 

So maybe it's just a simple mistake?

 

$30,000!!! Yikes!:rofl:

 

Maybe this is a mistake - we shall see. If not, this bill deserves to be framed. :)

[Mom2GirlsTX]

Wow, that is criminal to charge that much.

My dd evaluation, 2 days, about 11 hours was somewhere around $1200...my portion was $300 with Blue Cross.

[Ellie Snowshoe]

We went to Kennedy Krieger at Johns Hopkins, and had a wonderful PhD in psych testing and her RA test our five year old. Total cost was 2,000.00 and we'd do it again tomorrow the results were so comprehensive and she was so good at explaining things. We live in Washington state and we fly back to Baltimore once a year for his evals. Their business office is a complete disaster (check every bill you get from them twice and call to make sure they submitted it to insurance), but the clinicians are fabulous.