Diagnostic Clarification

What Is "Diagnostic Clarification”?

Psychiatric conditions often can share similar symptoms and presentations, however, they can often co-occur and/or aggravate one another. As a result, providing a timely and accurate diagnosis can be challenging, and can get in the way of therapeutic progress. A diagnostic clarification assessment is intended to provide diagnostic and/or differential diagnostic clarification as to increase the accuracy and thoroughness of an individual’s diagnosis by providing a comprehensive, standardized, and valid evaluation of symptoms – including one’s thoughts, behaviors, emotions, personality traits, and circumstances.

The testing process is always individualized – we personally select measures that follow the gold standard of normed, research-based, valid, and reliable tests. In order to determine which tests we will use, a vital part of the process involves a thorough clinical interview which gathers relevant historical data, and may examine available supplemental sources of information. In sum, the diagnostic clarification assessment focuses on identifying relevant diagnostic criteria and ruling out similar but inaccurate conditions.

Although the process of receiving an accurate diagnosis can feel daunting and vulnerable, the benefits of it can make important differences in the efficacy of treatment and the prognosis of an individual’s condition. Once the assessment is completed, you/or your referral source will be provided a formal integrated psychological assessment report that will outline relevant and important treatment recommendations.

Is this assessment covered by "insurance companies”?

Typically, yes – as long as your insurance company deems it “medically necessary.” We will work with your insurance company to verify your insurance benefits and what they will cover and report back to you before we make a decision to schedule your assessment. As an alternative, you can pay our private pay fee if your insurance does not cover all or portions of this assessment.

How the Process Works:

Clinical Interview

During this meeting, your psychologist will ask you questions to obtain information for two purposes:

1. To gather relevant historical information and symptoms.

2. To customize the plan for the testing session in order to answer the questions you or your referring provider have.

To help your psychologist best customize the evaluation to meet your needs, please bring to your initial consultation any records of previous testing that has been completed, including any testing conducted by another psychologist/ neuropsychologist. At the conclusion of the clinical interview, your psychologist will give you more detailed information about what to expect for the testing session(s).

Testing Session

During the testing session(s), you will be asked to answer questions verbally, and complete some computerized testing. The time-frame to complete testing takes approximately two and a half hours. Once testing is complete, you and your psychologist will coordinate a feasible date and time to schedule your separate feedback session.

Feedback Session

Once all supporting documentation has been obtained and all testing has been completed, your psychologist will meet with you to discuss findings and recommendations. Once the feedback session has been completed, you also will receive a detailed written report describing the findings and recommendations of your evaluation. Typically, the time-frame to complete this assessment ranges from three to four hours that includes the clinical interview and psychological testing. Typically, the turn around time to receive your feedback and completed psychological report is between seven to 14 business days from the date of your testing session. Please note, psychological reports will be submitted to your referring provider.

Get Started

Step 1

Call our office to be scheduled for the clinical interview. During this phone call, our staff will ask you some questions to clarify the nature of your request and to discuss payment, paperwork, and the overall assessment experience.

Step 2

New patient paperwork will be sent to you in advance of your clinical interview appointment to be completed via our secure HIPAA-compliant platform. (Please complete and submit your paperwork no later than 24 hours prior to your appointment).

Step 3

Meet with your psychologist over video using our HIPAA-compliant platform - a link will be emailed to you to access your appointment in advance.