For Patients

The intake specialist will provide the time and location of your first appointment. Be sure to plan your visit and allow time for traffic and parking appropriate to the location. 

Please bring any prior treatment records, discharge summaries, lab results, and medical records you have to your first appointment. If you have a loved one that you would like to be involved with your care, feel free to bring that person with you. 

In addition, all patients joining our practice must fill out the following forms. You can arrive early and fill these out, or you can fill them out in advance.

• New Patient Intake Packet
• Patient Request for Email Communications
• Notice of Privacy Practices (English) / Spanish

We value your time and your safety at Columbia Psychiatry. We want your visit to be as efficient as possible—You can help by following our pre-visit checklist:

• Complete your check-in up to 5 days before you arrive using our convenient patient portal, Columbia Connect. From the comfort of your own home, you can use Columbia Connect to:
  • Communicate with your provider
  • Manage your appointments
  • Check in before your appointment
  • Access your test results
  • Request prescription refills
  • View, manage, and pay your bills (or pay as guest without a Connect account)
  • See visit records and summaries
  • Schedule a video visit with your doctor

Connect is a joint effort of Columbia, NewYork-Presbyterian, and Weill Cornell Medicine, so a single Connect account links you to all three institutions.

Learn More About the Columbia Connect Patient Portal

You are welcome to search our providers to find a good fit for you. You do not need to know your diagnosis or even exactly what help you need to call. You do not need a referral to meet with our psychiatrists and therapists. We will work to find the right provider to meet your needs. If we do not feel your problems are best treated by us, our intake specialists will direct you to where you can find the services you need. 

Please note that not all providers have availability or may not be an appropriate fit based on your needs.

We accept a limited range of insurance plans (listed below). If we do not directly accept your insurance, you can still see a Columbia psychiatrist or therapist by using your “Out of Network” benefits. Many commercial insurance plans will cover Out of Network services after meeting your deductible, allowing you to get the very best care for a more affordable price. To utilize your out-of-network benefits, please contact your insurance carrier. You can also use pre-tax FSA and HSA funds to help pay for your care. If you have further questions when submitting to your insurance company for Out of Network benefits, please call our billing specialists at 212-305-2600.

Accepted Insurances

Individual Therapy and Psychiatry

• AETNA
• Columbia University Employee Plan
• New York Presbyterian Hospital's Employee Plan

Most of our specialized programs offer in-network coverage through:

• AETNA
• NYU Wellfleet
• New York Presbyterian Hospital's Employee Plan
• Columbia University Employee Plan

Yes, in addition to in-person appointments, Columbia Psychiatry offers video visits. These services allow you to see a Columbia therapist, psychiatrist, or counselor through an online video chat using Connect (MyChart) the online patient portal, giving you access to high quality mental health care without having to leave home.

Please note that due to federal licensing requirements, all patients must be in New York or New Jersey during any virtual appointments.

Benefits of Our Video Visits:

• Maintain safe social distancing 
• Receive high quality mental health care without having to leave home
• Reduce the need for time off work and other obligations
• Improve continuity of care and follow-up
• Reduce barriers to treatment, such as commuting/transportation
• Reduce cancellations due to last-minute conflicts

Connect Patient Portal Login information

Studies have shown that mental health care conducted virtually is equivalent to in-person care in terms of accuracy of diagnosis, effectiveness of treatment, quality of care, and patient satisfaction. Although teletherapy will present some differences from an in-person visit, rest assured that you can still speak to your psychiatrist or counselor about anything that’s bothering you in a safe and secure environment. And just as during an in-person visit, your therapist or psychiatrist will be able to listen to you, offer guidance and feedback, and help you achieve your desired goals.

We know that first appointments can be anxiety provoking, and our entire team from the front desk staff to the psychiatrists and therapists will work to put you at ease as you enter into our care. Our providers are empathic listeners trained in the latest advances in psychiatry and psychology. They will listen to what is troubling you and offer you their sense of what is going on and how best to move forward. From there, our providers will serve as your guide as you progress towards your goals. 

You can contact the Columbia Psychiatry customer service department at 212-305-2600 or by email at cdpsybillinghelp@cumc.columbia.edu.

Your medical records are strictly confidential. The Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) restricts us from releasing any information without your written permission. To obtain a copy of your record, a Medical Release Form must be completed.

Please complete a request online. If you have any questions, please contact our practice directly.

Your preference is important to us. If you prefer that your notes are not shared with you via your patient portal, please inform your provider who can adjust the settings to align with your preference.

Clinicians document according to specific clinical guidelines. Patient access to notes offers benefits, such as improved patient engagement, knowledge and understanding of health conditions and treatment plans, and greater accessibility and transparency in healthcare.  Potential drawbacks may include patient anxiety, as well as misinterpretation or misunderstanding of clinical documentation. For more information, please visit this website: Open Notes. Please seek support from your provider/care team if you have specific questions or concerns.

If you believe that certain information in your notes is factually inaccurate and would like to request a correction be made in the form of an amendment, please complete the form entitled “Request for Correction/Amendment” that can be found at the following webpage: Request for Medical Records | ColumbiaDoctors. Please note that clinical documentation may be amended only to correct factually inaccurate information, not clinical assessment.  

Requests for correction/amendment to documentation will be reviewed by the CUIMC Health Information Management Office and your provider, who will make an assessment before responding to your request. If the provider/care team does not agree that a change to documentation is warranted, you may send a Statement of Disagreement which can be included in your record describing your perspective.

To support greater care coordination, all members of your care team need access to your medical information which enables your care team to consider all relevant factors impacting your health as they make treatment decisions. If you have any specific questions/concerns, please let your provider know.

Patients in Substance Use Disorder programs must provide written consent for their progress notes and other treatment information to be viewable to anyone outside of the SUD program.

Privacy protections are in place for all patients treated by ColumbiaDoctors Psychiatry. All notes in Psychiatry have an extra layer of protection that requires users outside your care team to comply with additional password demands and provide a rationale for entering the record. This process is subject to audit and privacy violations may lead to disciplinary action.

Health Care Information Exchange (HIE) is a way for health care professionals to access and securely share medical records electronically. This ensures authorized providers have access to your comprehensive medical history, which is important in emergencies, when traveling in the US, or when transitioning care.

If you give consent, providers at our organization can access your electronic health information from organizations outside of ColumbiaDoctors. In addition, providers at outside healthcare organizations can access your medical information from our organization, however notes from behavioral health, substance use disorder, and other designated sensitive programs are not disclosed. Please note if you consent to HIE, your current problem list, allergies, and medications are shared with external organizations which may reveal sensitive information. 

If you would like to participate or opt out of HIE, fill out this form and send to privacy@cumc.columbia.edu. Once the completed form is received, your records will be updated accordingly. 

The federal confidentiality law and regulations [codified as 42 U.S.C. § 290dd-2 and 42 CFR Part 2 (“Part 2”)] permits patient information to be disclosed to Health Information Exchange (and other HIE systems);  Columbia does not share sensitive notes with HIE systems, however as noted above if you consent to HIE your current problem list, allergies, and medications are shared with external organizations which may reveal sensitive information. 

When you are treated in a ColumbiaDoctors Substance Use Disorder program, you will receive a Special Notice of Privacy Practices to consent to who will have access to this sensitive information. In general, other providers at the organization will not be able to see notes created in programs specializing in Substance Use Disorders unless you provide written consent. 

Employees of the organization may have specific additional privacy protections applied to their chart in addition to standard behavioral health protections. If you are concerned about any issues related to privacy, please let your provider know and/or contact the Privacy Office at Privacy@cumc.columbia.edu.

Children and partners of employees receive the standard behavioral health protection provided to all patients receiving behavioral health services. Access requires users outside the care team to comply with additional password demands and provide a rationale for entering the secure notes. This process is subject to audit and privacy violations may lead to disciplinary action.