With self-pay psychiatric care, you pay the practice directly instead of billing insurance. At Gimel Health in Fort Lee, $350 covers an evaluation of up to 50 minutes with Michael Feldman, PA-C, a psychiatric physician assistant. If you’ve been searching for a self-pay psychiatrist, it works the same way: direct payment, a superbill for your insurer, and no network rules.
What you get for that fee goes beyond the visit itself: how soon you’re seen, how long you have, whether you see the same clinician each time, and what you can claim back afterwards. This guide covers each one, along with who self-pay suits and who it doesn’t. Gimel Health’s page on out-of-network psychiatric care explains how the practice handles billing in New Jersey and New York.
Why Many Psychiatric Practices Don’t Take Insurance
Psychiatry has some of the lowest insurance participation in medicine. In 2014, a study by Tara Bishop and colleagues in JAMA Psychiatry, discussed in JAMA, found that in 2009 and 2010 only 55.3% of office-based psychiatrists accepted insurance, compared with 88.7% of other specialists. Their participation was also falling faster than in other fields.
The usual reasons are low reimbursement rates and the administrative work of prior authorizations and claims. Those numbers describe psychiatrists, but private psychiatric practices staffed by physician assistants and nurse practitioners often run on the same self-pay model. Gimel Health bills patients directly and provides a superbill for every visit. The post on why most psychiatrists don’t take insurance covers the reimbursement side in more detail.
Looking for a Self-Pay Psychiatrist? What Changes With a PA-C
For most people, very little changes in the care itself. A psychiatric PA-C can evaluate you, make a diagnosis, prescribe medication (including controlled medications such as ADHD stimulants, with the required registrations) and manage your treatment over time. Michael Feldman, PA-C, is licensed in both New Jersey and New York.
The title is different, and it’s worth knowing that before you book. Michael is a physician assistant, not a psychiatrist (an MD or DO). Physician assistants train in a general medical model, practise within the scope each state sets, and build their specialty through clinical work in psychiatry. The post on who can prescribe psychiatric medication in NJ and NY sets out what each credential can do.
Are there cases where you should look for an MD specifically? A few. Some employers, courts or insurers require an evaluation signed by a physician, and some complex cases are best managed in a hospital-based team. If either applies to you, ask on the discovery call before you book.
What Self-Pay Changes for You
The biggest change is usually speed. A 2023 mystery-shopper study of psychiatrists in five states, including New York, found only 18.5% could offer a new patient an appointment, with a median wait of 67 days for an in-person visit. At Gimel Health, appointments are typically available within 1 to 2 weeks.
Other things change too:
- Visit length is set by the practice. At Gimel Health, an evaluation runs up to 50 minutes and a follow-up up to 25 minutes.
- You see the same clinician. Every visit is with Michael Feldman, PA-C, so you don’t repeat your history to someone new.
- The insurer has no say over visits. You don’t need prior authorization for appointments. If you use pharmacy insurance for medication, though, its rules still apply to the prescription.
- You get a price in writing. Under the No Surprises Act, uninsured and self-pay patients have the right to a Good Faith Estimate of expected costs. It’s due within 1 business day of scheduling when the visit is booked 3 or more business days ahead. If the bill comes in at least $400 above the estimate, you can dispute it.
What $350 Covers at Gimel Health
The $350 initial evaluation covers up to 50 minutes with Michael Feldman, PA-C. That time is spent on your history, your current symptoms and how they affect daily life, and a diagnostic discussion. You leave with a treatment plan, which can include a prescription when that’s appropriate.
Before you pay anything, a free discovery call of about 10 minutes checks that the practice is the right fit. After the evaluation, follow-ups are $300 for up to 25 minutes each. Every visit comes with a superbill.
What the fee doesn’t cover:
- the cost of any medication, which you pay at the pharmacy
- lab work, if it’s needed
- care from other clinicians, such as a therapist
The full fee list is on the fees page. The office is at 440 West St, Suite 307, Fort Lee, and visits are offered in English, Russian and Hebrew.
Who Self-Pay Suits (and Who It Doesn’t)
Self-pay tends to suit you if:
- you can’t find an in-network clinician who can see you soon
- you want longer visits and the same clinician every time
- you’d rather keep your mental health care off insurance claims
- your plan has out-of-network benefits you can use with a superbill
It’s probably not the right fit if:
- you’re in crisis right now. Call 911 or the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline instead
- you already have an in-network clinician available soon at a low copay
- ongoing visit costs aren’t workable. FindTreatment.gov lists lower-cost options by location
- you live outside New Jersey and New York, where Michael isn’t licensed
- you have Medicare or Medicaid. Special rules apply to paying privately under these programs, so ask before you book
How to Get Part of It Back
If your plan includes out-of-network benefits, you can submit the superbill for partial reimbursement. How much comes back depends on your plan. Insurers usually pay out-of-network claims based on an “allowed amount”, after your deductible, minus your out-of-network coinsurance, so the cheque is often less than the fee you paid.
Ask your insurer these questions before you book:
- Does my plan have out-of-network mental health benefits?
- What is my out-of-network deductible, and how much of it have I met?
- What allowed amount do you use for an outpatient psychiatric evaluation?
- Do you reimburse visits with a physician assistant?
The superbill guide walks through submitting a claim. The out-of-network vs in-network comparison helps if you’re still weighing the two.
Live in NJ or NY? Book a free 10-minute discovery call to see whether self-pay care with Michael Feldman, PA-C, fits your situation.
Outside NJ and NY? Michael can only treat patients located in those two states. A local psychiatric clinician or your primary care provider is the right next step, and FindTreatment.gov lists mental health providers by location.
