FAQs

We accept most insurances. If we are in-network with your insurer, your costs will depend on your particular plan benefits. We will provide you with an estimate of your cost (co-pay, coinsurance, or deductible) at your scheduled visit.

For individuals without insurance or who do not wish to use their insurance benefits, we offer a discounted self-pay rate. You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost. Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services. You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services. This includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment, and hospital fees. Make sure your health care provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least 1 business day before your medical service or item. You can also ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service. If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate. For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call 1-800-985-3059.

• For scheduling questions or records requests, please use the Contact Us form or call (615) 320-1155 to reach a Care Coordinator.
• For clinical questions, you may message your provider via the Patient Portal.
• If you are in crisis and need immediate mental health support, please call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
• For life or death emergencies, please call 911 or go to your local emergency room.

• For cancellations, please use the Contact Us form or call (615) 320-1155 to reach a Care Coordinator.
• To reschedule an appointment, please call (615) 320-1155 to reach a Care Coordinator.

• To cancel or reschedule a psychological testing appointment, please contact us at least 72 hours prior to your scheduled appointment time to avoid incurring a cancellation fee.
• For all other appointments, please contact us at least 48 hours prior to your scheduled appointment time to avoid incurring a cancellation fee.

Your telehealth appointment will be conducted on Zoom. To access your provider’s Zoom waiting room, follow these instructions:

Five to ten minutes before your appointment time:

• Follow this link: www.athenacare.health/waitingroom. You can also access this link at the bottom of every page of our website (click ‘Virtual Visits’).
• Click on the Waiting Room under your provider’s name. You will automatically be placed in a waiting room for your provider. Your provider will admit you to the waiting room when he/she is ready for you.
• Please make sure to have reliable internet service, that the camera and microphone are on, and that the volume on your speakers is up. Telehealth appointments may take place in your car if your internet connection is strong; however, please make sure that you are parked. If you are not admitted by the provider by 10-15 minutes after your appointment time, please call the front desk at (615) 320-1155.

If you are on a mobile device or tablet:

• You will be prompted to download the Zoom app or launch it in the browser.
• If you choose to launch it in the browser, please make sure to select that option.
• If you choose to download the app, once it is downloaded, please find your provider’s virtual waiting room by clicking this link: www.athenacare.health/waitingroom. Scroll down to your provider’s name.

**This is how telehealth appointments are accessed every time. You will not receive a link. Please reference your appointment reminder and follow these instructions each time you have a scheduled appointment**

We support the use of emotional support animals for individuals suffering from isolation or emotional dysregulation associated with mood disorders, thought disorders, and autism spectrum disorders. We consider such in the course of treatment and may recommend such to patients who are actively engaged in our care.

Emotional support animals are not service animals and are not afforded the same rights and benefits of such. Athena Care is not able to authorize service animals which must be more job specific and are typically assigned for medical/physical conditions.

The public use of emotional support animals can be prohibited by private property owners or facilities. Unlike service animals a “no pets policy” will prohibit the use of emotional support animals.

Emotional support animals that do not qualify as service animals under the ADA may nevertheless qualify as reasonable accommodations under the FHA. In cases when a person with a disability uses a service animal or an emotional support animal, a reasonable accommodation may include waiving a no-pet rule or a pet deposit. This animal is not considered a pet.

A landlord or homeowner’s association may not ask a housing applicant about the existence, nature, and extent of his or her disability. However, an individual with a disability who requests a reasonable accommodation may be asked to provide documentation so that the landlord or homeowner’s association can properly review the accommodation request. They can ask a person to certify, in writing, (1) that the tenant or a member of his or her family is a person with a disability; (2) the need for the animal to assist the person with that specific disability; and (3) that the animal actually assists the person with a disability. It is important to keep in mind that the ADA may apply in the housing context as well, for example with student housing.

Lastly, it is Athena Care’s policy that we reserve the right to refuse to offer letters of accommodation or designation for an emotional support animal. We will approve a range of pets for in-home use if appropriate but the recommendation that pets are taken in public will be limited to dogs who have successfully completed the AKC Good Citizenship test and have received the certificate indicating such. Information about the AKD Good Citizenship program can be found at Canine Good Citizen (CGC) – American Kennel Club (akc.org)

Short and Long Term Disability forms must be completed by a physician. Most of our clinical staff do not possess such a license and cannot complete disability forms for you.

If you participate in our Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) or Partial Hospitalization Program, our supervising physician will complete such paperwork on your behalf. Generally, a person who qualifies for disability with a mental health disorder participates in IOP or PHP or has been recently hospitalized.

If you receive routine services from Athena Care (the services we offer in most situations), you generally are not considered disabled without a determination of chronic disability by the social security administration. If you require a higher level of care to treat your condition, we can provide you with a referral.

Note: This policy does not cover FMLA (the Family and Medical Leave Act). Most of our staff can provide documentation to cover your required treatment time away from work for each appointment.

For ADHD, autism, specific learning disabilities, neurocognitive functioning, or general psychological testing:

These assessments involve a 3-appointment process.

• First Appointment: This is an intake interview. It will typically last somewhere between 45 minutes and 1 hour. If this appointment is for a child, the child needs to be present for this appointment. In this appointment, the psychologist will ask questions about your current symptoms and background information that will be used to decide the type of testing that is needed and which assessments to use. The second and third appointments will be scheduled at the conclusions of the first session.

• Second Appointment: This will be the day of testing and must be in-person. For adults, this appointment will typically last 3-4 hours. For children over the age of 8, this appointment can last 4-7 hours. For children 7 years of age or younger, this appointment typically lasts 1-4 hours. If a patient is receiving neuropsychological testing, testing is expected to last the majority of the day. Lunch breaks will be provided for people testing past noon. This overall time frame varies by patient, tests ordered, and is an approximation. Please note this does include the time taken for a lunch break.

• Third Appointment: This is a feedback session. In this appointment, the psychologist will go over assessment results and make recommendations.

Useful Links:
Athena Care’s testing process
What to expect on testing day

For Gastric Evaluations:

Gastric Evaluations take place in one day. There is typically an interview followed by self-report testing. These appointments typically last 3-4 hours.

It is recommended that you bring with you copies of any previous assessment reports and a list of your current medications.

If a child (minor) is the client, the child and a legal guardian needs to attend the initial interview and consent to assessment.

The first and third session of the 3-appointment assessments can often be conducted via telehealth; however, all testing appointments (the 2^nd appointment in the series) must take place in person.

For assessments of children, the child should be present for the initial interview.

For young children, a second adult can accompany the child to the waiting room for part of the assessment or the parent can provide a previously written document. For telehealth sessions, the appointment can be divided to include time with the child and without. If you have a preference regarding this, please let the psychologist know at the beginning of the session.

For teens, it is recommended that all information be provided with the teen present. In the state of TN, teenagers 16 years of age or older, hold confidentiality rights. Therefore, the psychologist will typically not be able to talk to parents privately without the teen’s consent via a signed release of information. However, even with the teen consents, it is typically not recommended that providers and parents talk about the teen patient behind his/her back except in extenuating circumstances. Limits of confidentiality include serious suicidal ideation, homicidal ideation, or abuse. In these cases, information may be shared without the teen’s consent.

• Get a good night’s sleep. This might require changing schedules for people who work 3^rd shift.
• Eat a healthy breakfast.
• If you can avoid caffeine without getting a headache, it is recommended that you do so. However, if this is not possible, consume the minimum amount of caffeine necessary to avoid a headache (no more than usual).
• Please do not take stimulant medication or nonstimulant medication prescribed for ADHD. You may, however, take any other daily medications. You may also bring medication for ADHD with you to the assessment appointment and take it after completing assessments of attention. Be sure to tell your examiner that you would like to do so.
• It is also recommended that you bring snacks and bottled water.
• Be sure to wear/bring any prescribed contacts, eyeglasses, and/or hearing aids.
• It is also very important that you avoid trying to “study” for this assessment. This plan often backfires. It is important that we get an accurate assessment of your abilities without studying specific tests. It is not important that you get a “good” score, only that we get an accurate one. Also, please do not worry when you “miss” questions during assessments. Many of the assessments are designed to continue until you miss a certain number of questions, so missing questions SHOULD happen. Just try your best and be honest. Many of the assessments include assessments of validity that will render the test invalid if you are not honest, again backfiring.

Typically, parents will wait in the waiting room while their child is being assessed. During that time, parents are often asked to complete their own reports of their child’s behavior. For very young or shy children, sometimes parents will accompany the child to the testing room until comfortable.

Typically, yes. For older, very independent children, parents may step away for some period of time; however, be sure to provide the examiner with your cellular phone number so that we may contact you when needed.

Assessments are typically covered by insurance. However, if and how much your assessment will cost will depend on your plan, if you have reached your deductible, and the assessments ordered. You will be provided with an estimate of your out-of-pocket expenses when you schedule your second and third appointments (in a 3-appointment process). Payment is due at the time of service.

Patients 16 years of older should always be present for the feedback session. Participation is recommended for younger teens as well, but not required. Young children are not required to be present for feedback sessions. For assessments of dementia or other neuropsychological assessments, it is recommended that at least one member of the patient’s primary support system be present as well.

Many times, the report will be ready at the feedback session. In-person patients will often be provided with a hard copy to take home after the appointment. Telehealth patients will receive a copy of their report via electronic message. Sometimes, the report will require additional editing based on information provided during the feedback session or when some information has not yet been received (i.e. teacher forms). In these cases, your report will be sent to you via electronic message upon completion. Feel free to message your provider on the portal or call the front desk if you have not received this report within the expected time frame.

An initial therapy session will typically last 45 to 60 minutes. During this session, the provider will ask questions regarding your mental health history and other background information. You may also begin to formulate a plan for therapy in this session (i.e. frequency of appointments).

Follow-up sessions typically last 45 to 60 minutes and occur on a frequency decided by the patient and provider. During these sessions, the patient and provider will work toward identified goals.

Athena Care is in-network with most insurance providers. How much you will owe per session depends on your plan, whether or not you have met your deductible, and other factors. We will verify your benefits for you and provide you with an estimate of your out of pocket cost prior to scheduling.

First you will be asked to fill out paperwork about some background information before the date of your appointment. Note: please inform us if you are currently taking controlled substances.

Patients are asked to arrive 30 minutes before appointments to check in and complete any remaining paperwork.

An initial appointment lasts up to 1 hour. This is an interview collecting information about your history and current symptoms or issues. At the end of the visit, diagnosis and medication treatment options will be discussed. Education will also be provided about your treatment plan.

After the interview, you will meet with a medical assistant who will take your vital signs (blood pressure, pulse), height, weight, and any labs ordered by the provider.

You and your provider will discuss the benefits and tolerability of the medication chosen in the previous session. Your current symptoms will be reassessed. While most med practitioners do provide therapeutic support, their expertise does not replace the expertise of a trained therapist. Please discuss with your med provider whether they recommend accompanying therapy.

Follow up appointments are generally every 2-4 weeks until a solid medication regimen is established and both patient and provider agree to stretch out the follow up. Follow ups can be more frequent than every 4 weeks if the patient and provider feel this is necessary.

Submitting refill requests on the patient portal is the most efficient way. Please consider your med provider’s normal schedule and request accordingly. Many providers are off on Mondays or Fridays. You may also call the office to request refills.

On treatment days, you will self-administer Spravato® nasal spray at the Athena Care clinic under medical supervision. After taking your dose, you will relax at the clinic for at least two hours to check for possible side effects, such as a temporary increase in blood pressure ​, dissociation, and sedation. Your care provider will let you know when it’s okay to leave the clinic. You won’t be able to drive or operate heavy machinery until the following day, so you will need to plan for rides on treatment days.

Treatment generally includes two sessions per week for the first month ​and one session per week during the second month. ​At this point, you will work with your Spravato treatment team to determine if any additional Spravato treatments are necessary. Spravato® is prescribed along with a daily oral antidepressant.

Most insurance providers are now offering coverage for patients with Treatment-Resistant Depression or depression with suicidal thoughts ​as long as those patients meet the medical necessity criteria.  We will verify your benefits, ​assess if you meet the necessary criteria for treatment, and provide you with an estimate of your out-of-pocket cost before scheduling ​your first treatment.

TMS treatments usually occur 5 days per week for 6 weeks and each session lasts about 20 minutes.

During the treatment session, you can sit comfortably and read, watch TV or use a cell phone or other personal device. You’ll hear a clicking sound and feel a rapid tapping sensation as the magnetic pulses are released.

You can drive yourself home after the treatment and resume your normal activities.

Most insurance providers are now offering coverage for patients with Treatment-Resistant Depression. Some insurance providers may offer coverage for patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.  We will verify your benefits, ​assess if you meet the necessary criteria for treatment, and provide you with an estimate of your out-of-pocket cost before scheduling​ your first treatment.