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| Houston Neuropsychology Group, PLLC formerly John Largen & Associates, Inc. 1020 Holcombe Blvd., Suite 1304, Houston, TX 77030 Phone: 713-799-2818 Fax: 713-790-1454 E-mail: office@hnpgroup.com |
Below is a list of frequently asked questions and answers. If you have a question that
is not answered below, please feel free to contact us.
Q: What payment options are available? Do you take insurance?
A: Most of our patients are able to use their health insurance to cover the majority of
evaluation fees. We are contracted with several major carriers, including Medicare,
Aetna, Cigna, United Health Care, and Blue Cross Blue Shield. Please note that each
insurance company has specific requirements that must be met in order to authorize
payment for neuropsychological services. Please speak with La Juana Tucker, our office manager, if you have any questions.
Direct payment is also a popular method for covering the cost of neuropsychological
services, especially to alleviate concerns many people have about privacy. We are
happy to work with individuals who wish to pay for our services directly; in such
cases, a waiver form must be signed that disallows billing one's insurance company.
We will offer an initial estimate of the total cost after meeting with you to learn about
the extent and duration of the evaluation that will be required. We accept payment
by cash, check, and credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover).
Q: How long will the appointment last?
A: The answer to this question depends on the reason for evaluation, the patient's
medical history, and complexity of the individual case. Appointments generally range
in duration from two to five hours. However, some insurance companies require an
initial interview before authorizing a neuropsychological evaluation. These
appointments (initial interview only) typically last 30-45 minutes.
Before an appointment for either a clinical interview or a full evaluation, we will ask
you to complete some history and registration forms. These forms may be
downloaded from this web site, or we will e-mail them to you. Completing these
forms in advance will help your doctor prioritize the time you spend in our office.
Q: I don't like taking tests. I am nervous about this appointment. What
exactly will I be doing during the appointment?
Our doctors are experienced in working with people of various ages and from all
types of backgrounds. We understand that some people may feel nervous about
getting tested. We strive to treat our patients with the highest respect and to make
each person feel as comfortable as possible. Testing is conducted in a private room
with one of our staff. Patients will be asked to complete various tasks that involve
thinking and information processing. For example, one might be asked to name
objects, write words on a page, determine if two lines are pointing in the same
direction, or learn a list of words. Nearly all of the tasks are presented in oral or
written format. There are no needles, dark rooms, bright lights, or other unpleasant
stimuli. Most people find the tasks to be interesting and feel that they have gotten a
good "mental workout." We also encourage our patients to take breaks when
needed.
The purpose of the evaluation is to measure the behavior of the human brain as it
thinks, learns, and processes information. The resulting data are useful for helping to
determine if an individual's test scores are suggestive of a central nervous system
disorder. For example, people are sometimes concerned about their memory. They
might be forgetting people's names or details that used to come to mind easily. Such
experiences might be due to several factors, including normal aging, various medical
illnesses, psychological factors, and/or a central nervous system disorder. Testing will
help to understand the scope of the problem (if one exists), its possible causes, and
provide guidance for appropriate treatment.
Q: When will I receive the results?
A: Evaluation results are typically communicated to your referring health care
provider within 1-2 weeks. Your provider will be able to review the results with you, in
addition to findings from other diagnostic tests or procedures you might have
undergone. Should you have any questions about your results after meeting with
your provider, then we will be happy to assist you.
Q: Which doctor will I be seeing?
A: The doctors at Houston Neuropsychology Group operate as a group practice. All of them have the appropriate training to offer neuropsychological services. Patient
appointments are usually scheduled based upon mutual availability. To minimize wait
time, patients may occasionally end up seeing a doctor other than the one with
whom they were scheduled originally.
Q: What will be done to protect my privacy?
A: Information that we receive in the course of patient care is kept strictly
confidential. No information is released to a third party without a patient's explicit
authorization, except in the following circumstances. The law requires psychologists
to:
1. Report any disclosure or evidence of physical or sexual abuse of a child to
authorities.
2. Report any abuse of an elderly or disabled person to authorities.
3. Report the probability of imminent physical injury to the patient or others.
4. Respond to subpoenas, court orders, or other legal proceedings or statues
requiring disclosures.
In legal cases, confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. Once a report is released to an
attorney or court, such records often become “public records.” In addition, some
insurance companies may request a copy of your report or office notes to be utilized
in evaluating your insurance claim. Please ask the doctor if you have any questions
regarding the limits of confidentiality.
is not answered below, please feel free to contact us.
Q: What payment options are available? Do you take insurance?
A: Most of our patients are able to use their health insurance to cover the majority of
evaluation fees. We are contracted with several major carriers, including Medicare,
Aetna, Cigna, United Health Care, and Blue Cross Blue Shield. Please note that each
insurance company has specific requirements that must be met in order to authorize
payment for neuropsychological services. Please speak with La Juana Tucker, our office manager, if you have any questions.
Direct payment is also a popular method for covering the cost of neuropsychological
services, especially to alleviate concerns many people have about privacy. We are
happy to work with individuals who wish to pay for our services directly; in such
cases, a waiver form must be signed that disallows billing one's insurance company.
We will offer an initial estimate of the total cost after meeting with you to learn about
the extent and duration of the evaluation that will be required. We accept payment
by cash, check, and credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover).
Q: How long will the appointment last?
A: The answer to this question depends on the reason for evaluation, the patient's
medical history, and complexity of the individual case. Appointments generally range
in duration from two to five hours. However, some insurance companies require an
initial interview before authorizing a neuropsychological evaluation. These
appointments (initial interview only) typically last 30-45 minutes.
Before an appointment for either a clinical interview or a full evaluation, we will ask
you to complete some history and registration forms. These forms may be
downloaded from this web site, or we will e-mail them to you. Completing these
forms in advance will help your doctor prioritize the time you spend in our office.
Q: I don't like taking tests. I am nervous about this appointment. What
exactly will I be doing during the appointment?
Our doctors are experienced in working with people of various ages and from all
types of backgrounds. We understand that some people may feel nervous about
getting tested. We strive to treat our patients with the highest respect and to make
each person feel as comfortable as possible. Testing is conducted in a private room
with one of our staff. Patients will be asked to complete various tasks that involve
thinking and information processing. For example, one might be asked to name
objects, write words on a page, determine if two lines are pointing in the same
direction, or learn a list of words. Nearly all of the tasks are presented in oral or
written format. There are no needles, dark rooms, bright lights, or other unpleasant
stimuli. Most people find the tasks to be interesting and feel that they have gotten a
good "mental workout." We also encourage our patients to take breaks when
needed.
The purpose of the evaluation is to measure the behavior of the human brain as it
thinks, learns, and processes information. The resulting data are useful for helping to
determine if an individual's test scores are suggestive of a central nervous system
disorder. For example, people are sometimes concerned about their memory. They
might be forgetting people's names or details that used to come to mind easily. Such
experiences might be due to several factors, including normal aging, various medical
illnesses, psychological factors, and/or a central nervous system disorder. Testing will
help to understand the scope of the problem (if one exists), its possible causes, and
provide guidance for appropriate treatment.
Q: When will I receive the results?
A: Evaluation results are typically communicated to your referring health care
provider within 1-2 weeks. Your provider will be able to review the results with you, in
addition to findings from other diagnostic tests or procedures you might have
undergone. Should you have any questions about your results after meeting with
your provider, then we will be happy to assist you.
Q: Which doctor will I be seeing?
A: The doctors at Houston Neuropsychology Group operate as a group practice. All of them have the appropriate training to offer neuropsychological services. Patient
appointments are usually scheduled based upon mutual availability. To minimize wait
time, patients may occasionally end up seeing a doctor other than the one with
whom they were scheduled originally.
Q: What will be done to protect my privacy?
A: Information that we receive in the course of patient care is kept strictly
confidential. No information is released to a third party without a patient's explicit
authorization, except in the following circumstances. The law requires psychologists
to:
1. Report any disclosure or evidence of physical or sexual abuse of a child to
authorities.
2. Report any abuse of an elderly or disabled person to authorities.
3. Report the probability of imminent physical injury to the patient or others.
4. Respond to subpoenas, court orders, or other legal proceedings or statues
requiring disclosures.
In legal cases, confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. Once a report is released to an
attorney or court, such records often become “public records.” In addition, some
insurance companies may request a copy of your report or office notes to be utilized
in evaluating your insurance claim. Please ask the doctor if you have any questions
regarding the limits of confidentiality.
Frequently asked questions
