Question 1

Do you take insurance?

Accepted Answer

Yes, The Timothy Center accepts most major providers. We are currently IN NETWORK with Blue Cross Blue Shield, United/ Optum (for IOP only), Humana, and Cigna/ Evernorth. Please let us know if you’d like us to run your benefits to see if any of our services are covered by your insurance.
 
The Timothy Center does not process Out of Network Claims (except for our IOPs).

Question 2

What if I have medicare or medicaid?

Accepted Answer

Sadly, at this time we are unable to process Medicare and Medicaid claims. Therefore, we are unable to accept these plans at this time. However, we recommend Bluebonnet Trails Community Services.

Question 3

Do you provide a superbill for clients to submit on their own?

Accepted Answer

Yes, The Timothy Center provides superbills upon request.

Question 4

Do you have more than one office?

Accepted Answer

Yes, The Timothy Center has 4 locations around Austin (Northwest, South, West and Georgetown).

Question 5

What does the first session with a parent and child look like?

Accepted Answer

Traditionally, you and your child will be seen by the therapist for the first session. However, under special circumstances - at the discretion of the therapist - either you and/or your child will be seen individually for the first session. Once you’ve been assigned a therapist, you can email him/her directly to ask specifically how the first session will look.

Question 6

Do both parents need to be at an intake or at other sessions?

Accepted Answer

We prefer both parents to be at the intake so that they can meet and get acquainted with the therapist. However, if that is not possible, we do understand, and at that point we just require at least one parent be present at the first session.
 
Regarding other sessions, your therapist will guide you throughout the process and will recommend either individual sessions, family sessions or couple/parenting sessions as therapeutically appropriate.

Question 7

What is the lowest age you work with?

Accepted Answer

4 years old

Question 8

Do you do individual counseling with adults?

Accepted Answer

Yes!

Question 9

If I am coming for marital and my spouse does not want to come, is it still beneficial for me to seek help?"

Accepted Answer

Yes! We could still do a lot of good work. You individually hold an important role within your marriage and can impact it positively in a big way.

Question 10

What is your cancellation policy?

Accepted Answer

If a client cancels within 24 hours of his/her scheduled session, the full cash / self pay rate is applied to the session and the cash rate is owed. The center is unable to bill insurance for missed or canceled sessions.

Question 11

I am concerned about insurance and confidentiality, how does that work?"

Accepted Answer

We keep the majority of your notes confidential. In most instances, all that is discussed with insurance is your diagnosis.

Question 12

Can I schedule on behalf of my husband or a senior citizen?

Accepted Answer

Unless you have medical power of attorney for an adult, they must do their own scheduling. The only exception is if you have an 18 year old senior, you can schedule for him/her.

Question 13

What does an online session look like?

Accepted Answer

Once an online counseling session is set your therapist will reach out to you with a link to login to the counseling session. We require a strong internet connection on your end, so that the session will not drop.

Question 14

What is the difference between co-insurance and co-pay?

Accepted Answer

A copayment, or copay, is a flat fee for a healthcare service or a prescription drug that is predetermined by a member’s health insurance plan. Copays are one way that insurers share the cost of medical services with policyholders, with the fees paid depending on the plan, medical service or drug. These fees are a fraction of the actual cost of the service provided.
Copays listed in health insurance plans can take effect either before or after an annual deductible has been met. In cases where a "deductible applies" or those that read "$x copay after deductible" a policyholder must pay for 100% of all costs for their health service until they've hit their deductible. After you've reached this figure, the reduced flat fee of a copayment applies.
The other situation is where the "deductible is waived" and cost sharing takes place immediately. In most health plans, for example, visits to a primary care physician (PCP) have the deductible requirement waived for a certain number of visits (typically the first three in a year). Once a member has used their allotted number of copay visits to their primary care physician, they must pay for any additional visits out-of-pocket, up to their deductible at which point the copay amounts apply again. 
Health plans with copays that apply before deductibles, or have deductibles waived for specific services, are generally preferable because they mean that the insurance company begins picking up some of the costs early on. This is especially important when you're comparing medical expenses. The copay amounts might look very similar to paper, but the conditions under which they begin kicking in could save a potential policyholder significantly more.
Another element of copays that consumers should look at is how often they are applied. For doctors visits, copays are generally very simple with a payment applied towards each visit. In the case of inpatient hospital stays, however, comparing copayments between plans may be a little more complicated. Some plans apply a copayment towards inpatient care on a per day basis, while others on a per admission basis. Prescription drugs copays can also be somewhat complex. Under the same plan, for example, you may be charged a $10 copay for a 30-day supply at a retail pharmacy while paying a $20 copay for a 90-day supply through mail-order. For a consumer needing 90 days of medication, the mail order scenario would offer savings.
Coinsurance, like a copayment, is a form of cost sharing for health services or prescription drugs between insurance companies and the insured. Unlike copays, which are flat fees, coinsurance is a percentage of the cost for a health service or prescription drug paid by a member after they have reached their deductible. The remaining percentage of the cost is paid by their health insurance company. For example, a health insurance plan might include a 20% coinsurance payment for a medical service. If that medical service costs $10,000 then the member would pay $2,000 and the provider, or health insurance company would pay the remaining $8,000. Similar to copayments, different health services such as seeing a primary care physician, lab work, x-rays, a visit to the emergency room or prescription drugs can have independent coinsurance percentages. Nonpreferred brand and specialty drugs commonly have coinsurance. 
The amount of coinsurance also depends on the type of health insurance organization. For the insured members of preferred provider organizations (PPOs), coinsurance for the same health service might vary if the professional scene is not in the provider’s network. For example, the coinsurance for a primary care doctor in your network might be 20% but the coinsurance for a primary care doctor outside your network might be 75%. Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) and Exclusive Provider Organizations (EPOs) usually do not offer any coverage for out-of-network care, meaning the insured would have to pay for any healthcare services entirely out of pocket.
There is no single answer to this question because everyone’s health insurance needs and financial circumstance is different. However, there are some generalities about coinsurance and copays that can help healthcare insurance shoppers make a decision when choosing their plan. 
Usually, the higher your monthly premium, the less coinsurance you’ll pay. For example, consider two health plans - one with a monthly premium of $400 and another with $450. Coinsurance for an emergency room visit might be 30% and 20% for the plans, respectively.
Since copays typically do not count toward health insurance deductibles or out-of-pocket maximums, these are costs that should be considered when choosing plans. Those who regularly purchase prescription medication and anticipate multiple visits to the doctor’s office each year should consider plans with lower copays.
Source: https://www.valuepenguin.com/copay-vs-coinsurance

Question 15

Why do you need my credit card information?

Accepted Answer

We collect your credit card information prior to your first appointment to ensure we can collect all no-show fees, co-payments, co-insurance, and deductible fees.

FAQ's