FAQ

Quintessence Psychiatry is conveniently located in both Miami, Florida, and New York, New York,  providing easy access to quality mental health care for those who travel between the two.

What Kind of Appointments Do You Offer?
All our appointments are virtual at this time, but we will be offering in person appointments in Miami in the future.  We offer several types of initial psychiatric evaluations -- all of them include in-depth examinations of your mental thought processes to determine whether or not you have a number of psychiatric conditions, and whether or not the medications you are on should be changed or continued. You can schedule a "regular" psychiatric appointment, or, if you are new to the mental health world, you can also schedule an "informational interview," which will give you an in depth explanation of the mental health treatment field -- which will go over how psychiatric medications work, how psychotherapy works, so you can make a better decision about whether you would like to try psychiatric medications or psychotherapy. We are happy to offer second opinions. We also offer follow up appointments, and therapy appointments.

Can I Attend Quintessence Psychiatry Virtual Appointments Even Though Physically I am Outside of Florida/New York? Or in a hospital?
Unfortunately not. For legal reasons, you MUST be in the state of Florida or New York for all Quintessence Psychiatry appointments. If you plan on being out of town, please make sure to schedule your appointment for before you leave Florida/New York, or after you return to Florida/New York. If your doctor discovers you are NOT in Florida/New York during your video appointment, your doctor will cancel the appointment immediately. No refund will be given.
 

Similarly, your doctor will NOT ever send a prescription to a pharmacy that is outside of Florida/New York.

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Also, while you are in a hospital, you are technically under the care of the psychiatrists in that hospital, so they are the ones who must treat you.

What Do I Need To Do To Prepare For a Virtual Psychiatry Appointment?
Please be sure you are physically located in Florida or New York.  Find a place where you can be alone without anyone overhearing you discuss your private health information, and with a good wifi or phone connection. Many people find their cars to be a good place where they can go and not be overheard. However, please do not drive during your appointments — it is best to give your whole attention to the appointment, and phone connections tend to drop frequently.

Will My Mental Health Information Be Kept Confidential?
All information an individual reveals during an appointment is confidential between the individual and our treatment team, except in 4 circumstances:

(1) if the individual threatens to harm themselves or someone else,

(2) If the individual chooses to be reimbursed by insurance, the treatment team needs to release the names of the psychiatric conditions the individual has,

(3) if an individual signs a release of information to have their records sent to a different psychiatric office, and,

(4) if the information is subpoenaed by a court in a legal case.

What Are Common Conditions You Treat?
Depression
ADHD
Anxiety
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Panic Disorder
Bipolar Disorder
Schizophrenia
Schizoaffective Disorder
Postpartum Depression
Postpartum Anxiety
Postpartum OCD
Adjustment Disorders
Smoking Cessation (medication only)
PTSD (medication only to help with symptoms — therapy is ultimately the best way to treat PTSD)

Do you treat pregnant patients? Or those looking to become pregnant in the near future?

Yes. Many pregnant people want to go off their psychiatric medications when they become pregnant, but that is NOT a good idea.  Pregnancy is a difficult time of stress, anxiety, physical pain/nausea/etc, and fluctuating hormones — and many psychiatric medications can be extremely helpful and are very low risk for pregnancy.  Please make an appointment with us ASAP if you are thinking about becoming pregnant, or are pregnant, to discuss which medications are considered best for pregnancy, or if you do want to try going off your psychiatric medications, to go off your medications slowly, while being under the care of a psychiatrist.
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Do You Take Insurance?
Yes — We use HelloAlma.com to take insurance payments — HelloAlma accepts most major employer-sponsored insurance plans in New York, and most major employer-sponsored plans except for BCBS in Florida.  You will receive an email from HelloAlma before your first appointment — please give them your insurance information as soon as possible so they can check if your insurance company is contracted with HelloAlma before your first appointment.

Do you offer ADHD evaluations?

​Yes — we partner with Mentavi.com to offer full ADHD assessments.  The Mentavi Diagnostic Evaluation is a scientifically validated, evidence-based mental health assessment that takes about 90 minutes and can be done anytime, anywhere. After you complete a personalized question flow, a doctorate-level psychologist reviews your responses and delivers a comprehensive report within 5 days with specific details around anxiety, ADHD, depression, and more. Your report may include a formal diagnosis.  The cost is $160.​

Do You Prescribe Controlled Medications Like Xanax, Klonopin, or Ambien?
Quintessence Psychiatry does NOT encourage daily use of medications like Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, or Ativan, as they are highly addictive and lead to cognitive impairment. Please be aware that the only benzodiazepine prescription Quintessence Psychiatry will prescribe is one of 10 pills per month, maximum.

(We also do not prescribe benzodiazepines WITHOUT concomitant use of a long-term anxiety/depression medication.)


What Is Your Anorexia/Eating Disorder Policy?
Quintessence Psychiatry is happy to see patients with eating disorders. However, as unrestrained anorexia nervosa is a very dangerous psychiatric condition, we require that individuals who are severely underweight due to their eating disorder MUST be enrolled in an eating disorder program of some kind, and they must sign a release of information to Quintessence Psychiatry so the eating disorder program can contact us if the individuals’ weight goes too low.

Does Quintessence Psychiatry do FMLA or Disability Paperwork? What About Court-Ordered Forms?
Quintessence Psychiatry makes the decision on a case-by-case basis to determine whether FMLA/Short term disability is appropriate for each patient. Each monthly FMLA evaluation will cost $125. FMLA is NOT an opportunity for anyone to have a vacation. For FMLA/short term disability, we require that over the course of 3 months you attend psychiatric medication management appointments every two weeks (or enroll in a daily intensive outpatient psychotherapy program), and TWICE A WEEK psychotherapy appointments. No exceptions.
 

If you do not maintain this minimum level of involvement in improving your mental health while on leave, your doctor will write to your employer stating they are no longer your doctor, and rescinding the FMLA.
 

For legal reasons, we do NOT fill out long-term disability or court-ordered forms.

Can I Have My Medications Prescribed to a Pharmacy That is Outside the States of Florida or New York?
No, that is NOT possible for legal reasons.


I'm a New Patient. How Do I Sign Up For the Patient Portal?
Please contact frontdesk@quintessencepsychiatry.com


I Am a Current Patient. How Do I Get a Refill of My Medication?
Please email frontdesk@quintessencepsychiatry.com to request a refill. However, you will not be able to get a refill without making a follow up appointment if it has been more than 2.5 months since your last appointment.


I Have a Question About Scheduling, Insurance Reimbursment, or Something Else that is Not Medication-Related. Who should I talk to?
Please feel free to email frontdesk@quintessencepsychiatry.com if you have any questions that are not directly about your medications.
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