Why I Still Accept Insurance for Psychological Testing

One of my core values is making high quality psychological testing as accessible as possible. While many doctoral-level psychologists have transitioned to a self-pay model for testing, I have chosen to remain in-network with insurance plans because I believe financial barriers should not prevent people from receiving an accurate diagnosis and meaningful recommendations.

Psychological assessment is one of the most specialized and time-intensive services psychologists provide. In addition to the time spent meeting with you, a comprehensive evaluation requires specialized assessment materials, scoring software, careful interpretation of multiple sources of information, extensive report writing, record review, and the development of individualized recommendations. Despite the expertise and resources involved, insurance reimbursement for psychological testing has not kept pace with the true cost of providing these services. As a result, many psychologists have stopped accepting insurance for evaluations altogether and now offer testing exclusively on a self-pay basis.

By continuing to participate with insurance, I hope to make high quality psychological testing available to more individuals and families while maintaining the level of care they deserve.

What does insurance actually cover?

When medically necessary, insurance generally covers the professional services involved in your evaluation, including the clinical interview, test administration, interpretation of results, report writing, and feedback session.

The one-time assessment resources fee goes beyond insurance’s standards and helps support specialized resources required to provide a comprehensive and individualized evaluation. For example, while some evidence-based screening tools are available at no cost, many of the most reliable and clinically informative psychological tests are professionally developed, standardized instruments that require licensed purchase, scoring platforms, and ongoing licensing fees. Every evaluation is individualized. Rather than administering the same set of tests to everyone, I select assessment measures based on their quality, scientific support, and how well they address your unique concerns and referral question.

The fee also helps maintain access to professional assessment resources, including scoring systems, normative databases, and evidence-based report-writing tools that support accurate interpretation and clear communication of your results.