Author: Mario Zona

4 Reasons to Choose a Private Practice for Mental Health Support

Advocacy Mental Health and Wellness

Everyone deserves to have mental health care that meets their needs. When seeking mental health support, choosing the right provider is central to your journey to wellness. While every individual’s situation is unique, private practice psychiatry services offer several unique advantages compared to large medical facilities. We’ll look at four reasons why selecting a small private practice could be the right solution for your mental health services.

What are the Advantages of a Private Practice for Mental Health Care?

1. Higher Quality Medical Care

While all medical institutions strive to provide high-quality healthcare, the reality is that mental healthcare is unique in that it requires extended time, conversation, and connection. Private practices focus on building a personal connection with each client. Because they are smaller in size, there is more capacity to listen, connect, and provide personalized care.

At larger institutions, appointments may feel rushed or hurried due to the multifaceted nature of a large medical facility. In contrast, private providers like West End Consultation Group can take the time to understand your unique needs. This allows for accurate diagnoses and treatment plans focused on making sure you receive the highest quality care possible.

2. A More Comfortable Environment

Large clinics and hospital environments can sometimes feel intimidating. While the sterile nature of big medical facilities is helpful for creating a sanitary space for the physical needs they serve, it might feel cold or impersonal to those seeking mental health support.

Private practices, on the other hand, are distinctly designed with your comfort in mind. The environment doesn’t need to be designed to address every medical condition, and can instead focus on creating an atmosphere that is warm, and welcoming, and serves as a safe space for you to focus on your mental health needs.

3. Convenience

Private practices often offer a range of conveniences compared to large medical facilities. These conveniences typically include an easy-to-find and centralized location, easier parking access, and more flexibility when scheduling appointments.

In contrast, larger medical institutions can have very long wait times, sometimes taking weeks or even months to see a specialist. They also may have limited scheduling options, as medical providers are often at different facility locations on specific days. A large medical facility may also be difficult to navigate.

Private practices like West End Consultation Group can prioritize accessibility and scheduling flexibility to help accommodate your lifestyle and schedule.

4. Better Communication with Providers

Clear and timely communication with your provider is very important, especially if you’re facing urgent mental health challenges. In larger clinical environments, it can be tough to reach your provider directly without an extended wait time, if at all.

The smaller size of a private practice allows for more personalized and direct communication. Whether you have questions about your treatment plan or need follow-up support, good communication is key for comprehensive mental health support.

Considerations When Choosing Private Practice Mental Health Support

While private practice offers many advantages, it’s important to consider potential limitations:

  • Limited Insurance Options: Some private practices may not accept all insurance plans. Before scheduling an appointment, check with your provider to make sure your insurance is accepted, or discuss payment plan options.
  • Narrower Scope of Practice: Private practices may not have the same breadth of specialists or services available as larger institutions. However, our focused expertise is also what allows us to provide specialized care that meets the unique needs of our patients.
  • Location: Private practices may not always be conveniently located for every patient. When choosing a private practice, it’s important to make sure the location works well for your needs and travel capabilities or to confirm if the private practice offers virtual services that meet your needs.

Minnesota Adults: Contact Us to Learn How We Can Provide Private Mental Health Support for You

At West End Consultation Group, our goal is simple: to help you take real, tangible steps toward your mental health goals. Located in St. Louis Park, MN, our team of providers helps Minnesota adults by providing empathetic care, medication management services, personal treatment plans for various mental health disorders, and other mental health resources.

If you’re ready to experience the benefits of personalized mental health care in a welcoming environment, contact us today or schedule a consultation. Together, we can make progress toward your wellness goals.

Dangers of Online Prescribing

Psychiatric Medications

The Dangers of Online Prescribing

The number of online services offering subscription-based psychiatric medication prescriptions has increased substantially in recent years. These services often promise quick access to psychiatric prescriptions while marketing themselves as an affordable option. However, there are several reasons to be wary of online prescribing services for psychiatric medication.

Three Reasons to Be Cautious of Online Prescribing Services

1. The Lack of Face-to-Face Care

Online prescribing services are absent of the benefits that come with face-to-face care. With face-to-face care, a psychiatric professional can observe non-verbal signs and symptoms that provide a more complete understanding of the best solutions and medications. Fidgeting, shifting, nervousness, signs of anxiety, and other physical indicators can be identified through traditional in-person care. Prescribing services that are entirely virutal, on the other hand, fail to catch these qualitative and often non-verbal signs.

Online prescription services also miss the ongoing assessment and evaluation necessary for extended and personalized care. Instead, they rely on brief questionnaires and online check-ins for information about the patient. This approach simply does not provide enough information to paint a complete picture of a person’s individual and complex mental health needs. Without a full in-person assessment or ongoing support, there’s an increased risk of misdiagnosis or missing other underlying conditions that could affect treatment.

Additionally, some psychiatric medications require in-person evaluation in order to be prescribed. Due to these DEA restrictions, an entirely virtual prescriber is limited to the medications they can prescribe. When looking at many of the online prescribing platforms, they often have around five medications that they offer for each set of symptoms. Psychiatric care is not “one size fits all,” so limiting the medications and available resources can cause roadblocks in providing effective care.

Telehealth is a helpful tool that can increase accessibility to care and boost convenience. However, there must be a balance. Psychiatric care should allow for what is best for the patient and their treatment plan. Allowing for a mix of in-person and virtual face-to-face care works well for many patients. Some people benefit from entirely in-person appointments or require additional monitoring that must be done in-office.

2. A Higher Financial Cost

While many online subscription services portray themselves as a cost-effective solution for getting psychiatric medication, the reality is that over time, they typically end up costing far more than traditional pharmacies and psychiatric treatment services. These services generally do not accept insurance for the cost of the subscription. They also often include recurring fees, increased prices for medications, and additional charges for services not covered in the subscription. These costs all add up quickly.

For example, a typical appointment with a psychiatrist or psychologist might be covered by insurance, and medication costs can be minimized by using conventional options available at local pharmacies. In contrast, subscription-based prescription services often bypass insurance. Instead, people seeking psychiatric care end up paying out-of-pocket. These services also often push branded medications over generic medications, which can significantly increase the final price of care. All of this leads to higher overall costs.

3. Risk of Overprescribing or Prescribing the Wrong Medications

For many people seeking psychiatric treatment, there are often solutions other than medication that can produce positive results. Lifestyle changes, implementing healthy habits, and other solutions can often be part of a comprehensive psychiatric care plan. It is common for a comprehensive treatment plan to include both medication and lifestyle modifications, along with support in following the plan.

However, online prescription services might rush to simply prescribe medication without exploring additional treatment solutions. This one-size-fits-all method can contribute to overprescribing or the use of medications that might not be ideal for the individual. It also lacks the ongoing opportunity to assess the medication response or adjust the treatment plan based on the results over time. The result can be unnecessary side effects or dependency on medications that could have been avoidable with in-person care.

The Benefits of Personalized Psychiatric Care

In contrast to online subscription-based medication services, in-person psychiatric care offers numerous important advantages tailored to each person’s unique experience. Key benefits of in-person psychiatric care over online-prescribing services include:

  • A personal connection with a psychiatric professional
  • The opportunity for non-verbal interaction and observation
  • Ongoing support and care built around your unique needs
  • Increased likelihood that insurance will help cover medications and services
  • Personalized medication management and treatment plans
  • Mental health services tailored for adult ADHD, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and more – not just a “one-size fits all” approach

Get In-Person Psychiatric Care that Meets Your Mental Health Needs

If you’re looking for psychiatric care and medication management services, West End Consultation Group can help. Our psychiatric professionals offer personalized care and mental health support designed to meet your unique needs. Contact our office in St. Louis Park, MN, today to learn more.