At Savera, the safety and wellbeing of our clients and community are paramount! To ensure we do our part, we have moved all our therapy, intake, and consultation sessions to telemedicine. Telemedicine refers to the practice of caring for patients remotely when the provider and patient are not physically present. 

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New Patients (out-of-network)

 

During this time, we are seeing a greater need for individuals seeking support for their mental health and overall wellbeing. To assist our community members, some of our therapists are offering a sliding scale for new patients.  Please call our office to discuss this option.

 

No-Cost Telemedicine Benefit

 

Some of our providers are in-network with Aetna, Blue Shield of California, and Optum. These insurance companies are providing their members no-cost telemedicine benefit for behavioral health (Aetna: 3/1/20- 1/1/21). This benefit waives co-pays, co-insurances, and deductibles for telemedicine visits. 

 

Which services will be covered by the no-cost telemedicine benefit?

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• Initial intake appointments

• Individual psychotherapy

• Family psychotherapy

 

Which services will NOT be covered by the no-cost telemedicine benefit?

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• Neuropsychological and psychological evaluations*

• Executive coaching sessions  (not covered by insurance)

 

* If you are seeking services for neuropsychological/psychological evaluations through your insurance, please contact us and our office manager, Roberta Williams, will help identify your coverage and benefits for the evaluation and schedule an intake appointment (510-394-2240; staff.savera@gmail.com).

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Can psychological/neuropsychological assessments be completed via telemedicine?

 

At this time, we are offering certain aspects of evaluations through telemedicine. These include initial intakes, parent interviews, collateral interviews with teachers/providers, and completion of online questionnaires. Due to the sensitive and standardized nature of evaluations, a full battery of assessments cannot be conducted virtually and will be conducted face-to-face if determined appropriate for the client.

 

When can face-to-face assessment visits be scheduled?

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Some patients may be seen for in-person assessment visit if it is deemed clinically appropriate. This option will be discussed with the psychologist during the virtual intake appointment.  An informed consent form for in-person appointments must be signed prior to the appointment. NOTE:  For adult patients, no additional visitors will be allowed. For child patients, only one adult will be allowed to accompany. CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR INFORMED CONSENT FORM FOR IN-PERSON APPOINTMENTS.

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OTHER FAQs ABOUT TELEMEDICINE

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Will my video sessions be secure? 

Yes. At Savera, we use a HIPAA compliant telemedicine platform called TheraNest. This helps protect data privacy by securely encrypting audio/video communication.    

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Can providers use video chat platforms such as Skype and FaceTime to complete telemedicine visits? 

Yes. Temporary Federal guidelines allow providers to temporarily use non-public facing synchronous video chat platforms, such as Skype, FaceTime, Zoom, or Google Hangouts to complete telemedicine visits. However, we emphasize that these third-party applications can pose privacy risks. Our providers may offer FaceTime or Skype as an alternative if the use of our standard HIPAA-compliant platform (TheraNest) is not feasible (e.g. due to patients not having access to a computer, network issues).

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Can telemedicine be conducted by phone? 

Yes. The no-cost telemedicine benefit will cover behavioral health services rendered by telephone.

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Can Savera's providers offer telemedicine visits to patients out-of-state? 

Unfortunately, at this time, our providers can only offer telemedicine services to clients who are currently residing in the state of California.

 

How can I set up a telemedicine appointment? 

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Existing patients will receive an email with a telemedicine link for their scheduled appointment with the provider. They will be able to use their client portal log-in information to access the virtual session. This link has instructions on how to join a telehealth session with your therapist.

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New Patients can contact our office manager, Roberta Williams (510-394-2240; staff.savera@gmail.com) to schedule an appointment. She will help you get set up with the client portal on TheraNest where you will be asked to complete your initial forms. You will then receive an email with a telehealth link for your scheduled appointment.

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Which Browser should you use with your device?

Desktop or Laptop: Chrome, Firefox, Safari

Android tablet or mobile phone: Chrome

Apple tablet or mobile phone: Safari

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