What are your office hours? And can I be seen via a virtual/telehealth service?
Our typical office hours are from Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. We do not operate a 24-hour on-call service, however will return any after hours voice mails on the following business day. If you are experiencing an emergency, you must call 9-1-1 or proceed to your nearest emergency room.
Virtual/Telehealth visits are available upon request.
Do I need to get a referral from my primary care provider to make an appointment?
Although your particular insurance carrier may require that you obtain a referral, we do not need you to do so for us to see you. We do expect all of our patients to communicate openly and honestly regarding medical history and other treatments, between all health care providers you may be seeing. We may also coordinate our efforts directly with your primary care provider should you sign written permission for us to do so.
Do you accept any type of health/medical insurance?
YES, we are accepting several insurance plans. Contact us today to arrange an appointment and learn more.
What is a Physician Assistant?
A Physician Assistant is a type of mid-level medical provider. PA’s may diagnose illnesses, develop and manage treatment plans, prescribe medications, and may serve as a patient’s principal healthcare provider. In the State of Michigan, PA’s enjoy full prescriptive authority and work in all medical specialty areas. The Michigan Public Health Act 368 in 2016 has defined and expanded the PA role and most recently in 2021, PA’s have been included in the State Mental Health Code with full approval of State Legislature. Physicians Assistants working in Converge are fully trained and experienced in practicing psychiatric medicine.
Are your services confidential?
Yes. However, the only exceptions (which are standard across medical specialties and practices) to upholding patient confidentiality are: Those cases in which potential imminent harm to any individual is suspected, cases of elder/child abuse or situations involving court-ordered issuing of records; the individual is unable to provide himself or herself food, clothing, or shelter or to attend to basic physical activities such as eating, toileting, bathing, grooming, dressing, or ambulating, and this inability may lead in the near future to harm to the individual or to another individual; or the individual has mental illness that has impaired his or her judgment so that the individual is unable to understand his or her need for treatment and presents a risk of harm.
Your trust in us is of upmost importance and strict confidentiality outside of these emergencies is a cornerstone of our practice. Finally, our payment model also enhances patient confidentiality by excluding third party payment and the associated paperwork.
Do you provide counseling?
While we prioritize actively listening to your concerns and history and conveying our genuine interest in your well-being and not rushing you through the process, we are not licensed counselors or psychotherapists. Many people find encounters with our clinicians to be supportive and enlightening; and certainly, patient education is given with respect to your condition and treatment. We do highly encourage following with a counselor or psychotherapist and will be happy to coordinate care with him/her provided you give us permission to do so.
How often will I be seen?
The frequency of visits will vary and most often depend on what medications you are prescribed and how you are responding. On the average, we recommend a follow-up visit 2-4 weeks following our initial meeting and then anywhere from 4-12 weeks subsequent to that first repeat visit. Again, this is an average estimate. Certain medications mandate much closer monitoring and may require monthly visits. We pride ourselves on flexibility and can respond to more urgent requests for additional visits as indicated.