Becoming a New Patient at MPA
Congratulations! You’ve made it this far. You’ve decided to pursue therapy or medication management, and you’re considering seeing someone here at Madison Psychiatric Associates. We hope we can be of service to you. Here are a few things to consider as you begin your journey with us.If you need help immediately, or if you or someone else is in danger, please call a crisis hotline (such as 608-280-2600), or go to the Emergency Room. See our Prospective Patient page, Billing page, and Contact page for more basic information, including types of mental health professionals at MPA, accepted insurance providers, and locations. If you’re a current patient at MPA, and you’re interested in scheduling an appointment with another clinician at MPA, start a conversation with your therapist or psychiatrist at your next appointment, or by calling our office at 608-274-0355. They can consider setting up an internal referral for you, and you won’t have to start at the beginning of the process.
How long will I have to wait before I can see someone?
It really depends. What we can tell you is that it won’t be tomorrow. Intake appointments are usually available within a couple months, but we are a private clinic and each clinician’s schedule is different. It may take about a week to determine whether we have a clinician on staff who is a good fit for you, to make sure they take your insurance, and to check that they have availability in their caseload for you. Read on for more about how that process works.
Calling us for the first time.
608-274-0355. You’ll hear a few options when you call in. If you’re a new patient looking to set up a first appointment, press Option 2 to leave a voicemail for an Intake Coordinator.
Leaving the voicemail.
All you need to say is your name, phone number, if you are looking for therapy services or medication management and a good time to reach you (during our business hours – Monday through Thursday, 8 am to 5:30 pm, Fridays 8-5). You’ll be able to talk about specifics like what you’re looking for when an Intake Coordinator calls you back.
The waiting game.
We check our messages throughout the day, and we try to return calls within 24 to 48 hours during the business week. We want to give everyone fair treatment, so we will respond to your call in the order it was received. If possible, be near your phone after you call, so you don’t miss our return call.
Talking with the Intake Coordinator.
When the Intake Coordinator reaches you, they will ask you some questions about your mental health and personal history. The information taken is strictly confidential and will only be shared with our staff. Please be prepared to let us know if you’ve seen another therapist or psychiatrist in the past, if you take or have taken psychiatric medication, and other personal history. This information helps us match you with a clinician who will be a good fit.
Insurance and money.
The Intake Coordinator will also ask you about your insurance. If possible, please have your insurance card(s) handy so that we can get all the information we need on the first try. If you don’t have insurance, or your insurance is out of network with MPA, we can go over self-pay rates. MPA does not bill out-of-network insurances.
If you’re calling about someone else.
If you’re a parent or guardian of a child under 18, you’re covered. We will work with you to collect the information we need. The same is true if you’re the legal guardian of an adult. However, if you’re calling on behalf of a friend or family member who is 18 or older, be aware that we will need the person’s permission to use the information you give us to begin matching them with a clinician. And we must get their permission before scheduling an appointment. This can be done over the phone – they must give us verbal permission to use the details you give us. We can take information from a caller other than the prospective patient, but we do not give out any information about patients without their permission once we have their info.
While you’re waiting to hear back.
An Intake Coordinator sends your information to a few potential providers to see if they have availability. After we hear back, our Billing office does a benefits check as a courtesy to make sure your insurance truly will cover visits at MPA. We will make you aware of benefit information we have collected so you can make an educated decision on your care. (Of course, we always recommend you call your insurance company directly to verify benefits, too – every insurance is a bit different, so it pays to double check.) It generally takes three to five business days to hear back from our clinicians and for an Intake Coordinator to complete the benefits check.
Hearing back.
Once we get answers back from our clinicians, the Intake Coordinator hands you over to the capable hands of our Reception team. We will give you a call back to let you know whether we found a match.If we didn’t find a good match or availability on our staff, we’re happy to give recommendations for other clinics to try.If we found a match, we will help you schedule your first appointment in the first available opening. If we don’t reach you on the first try, we’ll leave you a voicemail and you can call back to schedule with Reception (Option 3) instead of the Intake Coordinator. This will free our Intake Coordinators up to talk with other new patients looking to schedule.Bear in mind that the scheduling for intake appointments is a bit different from follow-ups. You may have to wait a while for an intake, but usually you can schedule a follow-up by the next week or two after your first appointment.
Your first appointment.
When you arrive at our office, you’ll be greeted by a receptionist, who will orient you to the building, check your paperwork, and show you where you can wait to meet your clinician for the first time. We’ll usually send you paperwork in the mail, including a map to find us and a letter with the date and time of your first appointment. Keep in mind that we use US mail instead of email, because email is not secure enough for patient privacy laws. If you prefer to print your own paperwork, you can find it here. Plan to arrive 15 minutes early to check in and get your paperwork handed in. Please come prepared – have your paperwork already filled out and your insurance card ready. Don’t forget to bring a method of payment if you have a copay or if you are paying for your services out of pocket. Copays are due at the time of service.Please note the location of your appointment – It may be at West (5534 Medical Circle) or East (2702 International Lane, Suite 207). If you’re not sure, give us a call. Please note that cash is not accepted at our East location. Thank you for choosing Madison Psychiatric Associates! We look forward to serving you.
