Aetna Psychiatric Care in Massachusetts
Journey Psychiatric Care is in-network with Aetna. Your visits are with Joseph Lavoie, PMHNP-BC, by secure video, wherever you are in Massachusetts.
Questions first? Call 617-858-8276. Booking and intake run through our secure, HIPAA-compliant patient portal.
The short answer
Journey Psychiatric Care is in-network with Aetna. That means Aetna psychiatric care in Massachusetts, including the first evaluation and follow-up visits, is billed to your Aetna plan. Your share of the cost comes from your plan’s copay, deductible and coinsurance. Sign in at aetna.com or call the behavioral health number on your card to confirm.
How Aetna members get started
Joseph is a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner, not a psychiatrist or physician. He handles your evaluation, diagnosis, therapy and medication, and every visit is by secure video. You need to be in Massachusetts at the time of each visit. See how telehealth care works here.
Many Aetna cards list a separate phone number for behavioral health or mental health. That line is the one to call. The general member line may route you around before you reach someone who can answer questions about outpatient psychiatric visits.
Aetna plans come through employers, through the individual market and through other programs, and each one has its own benefits. Check the plan on your card, not a plan you had before. You can also compare all the plans we take or read how insurance covers telehealth psychiatry in Massachusetts.
If you have a high-deductible plan, your first visits of the year may cost more until the deductible is met. Ask Aetna what it allows for an outpatient psychiatric evaluation and for a follow-up visit, so you can plan ahead. Only your plan can see your exact benefits, which is why the practice does not quote copays.
What to have ready
Card and group number
Your Aetna member ID, group number and the name of the plan, all printed on the card.
Your pharmacy
The name and location of the pharmacy you use, so prescriptions go to the right place if medication becomes part of the plan.
Your past care
Names of past prescribers or therapists and roughly when you saw them. It helps Joseph understand what has already been tried.
How to check your Aetna benefits
- Call the behavioral health line. Use the mental health number on your card if there is one.
- Ask about outpatient psychiatry. Ask what you pay for an evaluation and for follow-up visits with a psychiatric nurse practitioner.
- Confirm video visits. Ask whether telehealth visits are covered the same way as office visits.
- Write down a reference number. If the rep gives you one, keep it in case a claim is questioned later.
- Book your first visit. Request a time online or call 617-858-8276.
Other plans we take
Plan not listed?
You can still be seen. Journey Psychiatric Care provides invoices you can send to your plan for out-of-network reimbursement. Contact us for current self-pay rates.
Frequently asked questions
Is Journey Psychiatric Care in-network with Aetna?
Yes. The practice is in-network with Aetna. Before your first visit, call the number on your card to confirm that your specific plan includes outpatient mental health with an in-network provider.
What will I pay for an Aetna visit?
That is set by your plan. Copays, deductibles and coinsurance differ between Aetna plans, so the practice cannot quote a number. Your Aetna account or the behavioral health line can give you the amount.
Can a nurse practitioner bill Aetna for psychiatric care?
Yes. Board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioners are licensed to diagnose and prescribe in Massachusetts and can bill insurers for those visits. Joseph’s visits are billed under his own credentials.
Does Aetna cover video visits for mental health?
Most Aetna plans cover telehealth for mental health, and Massachusetts has rules on telehealth coverage for state-regulated plans. Self-funded employer plans can differ. A quick call to the behavioral health line settles it.
What if I switch from Aetna to another plan?
Tell the practice when your coverage changes. Journey Psychiatric Care takes seven commercial plans, so you may be able to keep seeing Joseph. If your new plan is not one of them, out-of-network invoices are an option.
Will I see the same person each time?
Yes. Joseph sees you at your evaluation and at every follow-up. You will not be handed off to a different clinician.
Take the next step in your journey.
Same clinician every visit. Telehealth anywhere in Massachusetts.
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