Maybe you've decided you want time with one physician, and now you want to know exactly what that time costs.
Or maybe a bill has caught you off guard before, and you'd like the numbers in hand before you book.
And maybe you're the one who keeps the family budget, so your own care has to fit the plan too.
You deserve clear answers before your first visit, about what care costs and what it includes.
This guide shows what a private-pay psychiatrist should tell you, and how it works at Health & Harmony.
The answer
Before your first visit, a private-pay psychiatrist should tell you the rates, what each visit includes, and how payment works. If you don't have insurance or choose not to use it, you also have the right to a good faith estimate of your costs, federal No Surprises Act guidance explains. At Health & Harmony, a new evaluation with Dr. McDade is $465, and each follow-up is $275, both paid at the visit. Ask for the numbers before you book.
Her story explains why Dr. McDade chose a different model of care.
What should you be told before your first visit?
Enough to plan with. Before you book, a private-pay psychiatrist should be able to answer each of these questions.
Before you book, ask
- What does a first visit cost, and what does a follow-up cost?
- How long is each visit, and who will I see?
- What comes with my visits, such as messages and refills?
- Which fees apply outside a visit?
- When is payment due, and how can I pay?
- Can I get a good faith estimate and a superbill?
When you pay for care yourself, you can get an estimate of your costs in writing. Providers must give you a good faith estimate when you schedule care at least 3 business days ahead, and you can also ask for one, federal No Surprises Act guidance explains. Each provider or facility gives its own estimate, listing the charges it expects.
- 3 business daysSchedule care at least this far ahead, and you get an estimate. You can also ask for one
- $400A bill at least this much over a provider's estimate can be disputed
- 120 daysStart a dispute within this many calendar days of the date on your first bill
- $25The fee to file a dispute
From federal No Surprises Act guidance on CMS.gov, for people who don't have insurance or choose not to use it.
The same guidance adds two rules. You'll need the estimate in writing to dispute a bill, and while a dispute is open, the provider can't send your bill to collections.
Keep a copy of every estimate.
What does your first evaluation include?
Time, first of all. Your first evaluation with Dr. McDade runs 60 to 90 minutes by secure video, so there is room for your whole story.
Your first evaluation covers
- Your story, with time to describe what you feel and the context around it
- Your medical history and the stress you're carrying right now
- Medical possibilities, considered alongside psychiatric ones
- A timeline of your symptoms and what sets them off, built together
- What she finds, in plain words, and your chance to say whether it fits
- Your options, why one might come before another, and a decision you make together
Before the visit, you'll complete intake forms in the patient portal and send a copy of your ID. For the visit itself, you need a device with two-way video and audio, an internet connection, and a private space.
Your first evaluation goes to understanding you.
What do Dr. McDade's fees include?
Your fees pay for your time with Dr. McDade, and a few parts of your care come with them.
- 01Your first evaluation
How it works60 to 90 minutes with Dr. McDade, by secure videoWhat it costs$465
- 02Each follow-up
How it works15 to 30 minutes with Dr. McDade, by secure videoWhat it costs$275
- 03Help with a prescription approval
How it worksWhen your plan must approve a prescription, she calls and helps however she canWhat it costsPart of her standard fees
- 04A good faith estimate
How it worksIn writing, before your first visitWhat it costsIncluded
Your written Good Faith Estimate lists the expected charges for your evaluation and ongoing visits, based on the care you and Dr. McDade plan together. An estimate is not a bill, and your final cost may change if your care changes.
The Good Faith Estimate page explains how the practice meets your right to an estimate.
What you can also expect
- A patient portal to message Dr. McDade, view your records, and schedule follow-ups
- Coordination with your other clinicians, once you sign a release
- A superbill when you ask, to send to your plan if it offers out-of-network mental health benefits
Two visit rates, each set in advance.
What can cost extra?
These fees can apply outside your visits, and each one is set in advance.
- 01A first evaluation not cancelled in time
What to knowCancel at least 24 hours ahead. It can be rescheduled once the fee is paid in fullThe fee$200
- 02A follow-up cancelled within 24 hours
What to knowDocumented emergencies are handled case by caseThe fee$100
- 03A refill between visits
What to knowRequested outside a scheduled visit. Allow 72 hours for any refillThe fee$25 for a controlled substance, $15 for a regular medication
- 04A longer form
What to knowCompleted outside your visit and billed by the time it takesThe fee$125 per 15 minutes
- 05A visit after more than 8 months
What to knowBooked as a new evaluationThe fee$465
School or work excuses and short forms that take less than 5 minutes can be completed without charge during your visit. Paperwork for your employer, such as family and medical leave, disability, or work accommodation forms, is usually completed in your visit as well, so you know what is being shared with your employer.
Mention any form at the start of your visit.
You plan for everyone else. Now plan your own care, knowing each visit's rate before you book.
Find Care That Understands MeHow does payment work?
Private pay, also called self-pay or cash pay, means you pay the practice directly for each visit. The practice does not take insurance, and fees are due at the time of your visit.
You can pay with a major credit card, or with a card from a health savings account (HSA) or a flexible spending account (FSA). Checks aren't accepted. A card stays on file to cover no-shows and late cancellations.
The Internal Revenue Service lists psychiatric care as a medical expense in Publication 502, its guide to the medical expense deduction. Your HSA or FSA provider can tell you what your account covers.
Pay at each visit, and save each receipt.
What care comes from someone else?
Dr. McDade focuses on psychiatric evaluation and medication management. Some care comes from other clinicians, and she helps you find them and works with them.
Care she can refer you to or work with
- Therapy, with therapists she knows well
- Hormone treatment, with a gynecologist or a perimenopause specialist she can recommend
- An intensive outpatient program or another specialized treatment, by her referral
- Lab work she orders, drawn at a lab that sets its own rates
If you're paying for lab work out of pocket, tell Dr. McDade. She may be able to suggest a lab with reasonable rates.
If you fill a prescription through your health plan, the plan's rules still apply, and some prescriptions need its approval first. When one does, Dr. McDade calls and helps however she can, as part of her standard fees.
Your other clinicians stay part of the plan.
If you need help now
If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. If you are Deaf or hard of hearing, use your preferred relay service or dial 711, then 988. In an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. This practice does not provide emergency services.
When does care begin, and how can it end?
A doctor-patient relationship begins only after the first visit, once Dr. McDade confirms telepsychiatry can meet the patient's needs. Dr. McDade may decline to form the relationship; if that happens, any prepaid amount is refunded in full and referrals are provided.
A referral is part of her care too, when another path would serve you better. You can end care at any time. If the practice ends care, Dr. McDade keeps caring for you for 30 days after notice, so you have time to find a new physician.
Your care stays your choice.
What happens after you reach out?
Here is each step, from the first call to your first follow-up.
- 01
Online or phone
You reach out
Book on the booking page, or call 832.387.6088.
- 02
Before the visit
A brief screening
A brief screening first confirms that telepsychiatry fits your needs.
- 03
Patient portal
Intake in the portal
You'll complete a few intake forms in the patient portal, then meet with Dr. McDade for a full evaluation.
- 04
Unhurried
Your first evaluation
Dr. McDade hears your story and reviews your history and your health, over 60 to 90 minutes. Understanding relies on context, and some stories need more time.
- 05
Collaborative
A plan built with you
You and Dr. McDade discuss each option in depth. When therapy is the better starting point, she refers to therapists she knows well.
- 06
Steady
Follow-up with Dr. McDade
Follow-up visits run 15 to 30 minutes by secure video.
The psychiatric evaluation page explains what the first visit covers, and the telepsychiatry page explains how video visits work.
Your story comes first.
Questions about private-pay psychiatry
How much does care cost?
Care is private pay. A new evaluation with Dr. McDade is $465, and follow-up visits with Dr. McDade are $275. You receive a good faith estimate before your first visit.
Does Dr. McDade take insurance?
No. Care is private pay, with rates set in advance and shared up front. You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate explaining how much your medical care will cost. Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who do not have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services.
What is your cancellation policy?
Please give at least 24 hours notice to cancel or reschedule a visit, so that time can be offered to another patient who needs it. A first evaluation not cancelled at least 24 hours ahead carries a $200 fee, and it can be rescheduled once the fee is paid in full. A follow-up cancelled within 24 hours carries a $100 fee. Documented emergencies are handled case by case, at Dr. McDade's discretion.
Do refills cost extra?
Only between visits. Refills requested outside a scheduled visit carry a fee, $25 for a controlled substance and $15 for a regular medication. Please allow 72 hours for any refill.
Does the practice provide superbills?
Yes. The practice can give you a superbill to send to your plan if it offers out-of-network mental health benefits. It lists the visit, its billing codes, and what you paid. Your plan decides what it pays back.
Will I see the same doctor at every visit?
Yes. Health & Harmony Psychiatry is a physician-only practice, and every visit, from your first evaluation through every follow-up, is with Dr. McDade.
Sources for the facts on this page.
- Know your medical bill rights when not using insurance, CMS.gov, October 5, 2026
- Dispute a medical bill, CMS.gov, October 2, 2026
- Publication 502 (2025), Medical and Dental Expenses, Internal Revenue Service, for 2025 returns
This guide explains private-pay costs in general terms and is not legal, tax, or insurance advice.
The information on this website is for general education and does not constitute medical advice or create a physician-patient relationship. For care, please schedule an appointment.
Care Through Connection
Each visit's rate known up front, and one physician at every visit.
Book the first visit online, or call 832.387.6088 with questions. A parent or guardian books for anyone under 18, and a brief screening confirms fit before your first visit.
Health & Harmony Psychiatry does not provide emergency care. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988, or call 911. Ages 6 to 70. Health & Harmony Psychiatry provides care by secure video to patients physically located in Texas at the time of their appointment.
