Mental Health Services Benefit
Important: If you’re thinking about harming yourself or someone else, get help right away by calling or texting 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (TTY: dial 711 then 988) or Institute of Aging’s Friendship Line 1-800-971-0016.
SCAN includes coverage for mental health services in all of its plans.
Your mental health benefits allow you to receive care from psychiatrists and other mental health professionals to diagnose and treat conditions important to your emotional health and wellbeing. This support may be provided through your primary care physician’s medical group or through a trusted health plan partner. Check your Evidence of Coverage to see exactly what your plan includes.
Your coverage includes:
- Outpatient mental health therapy for individual or group visits with a clinical psychologist or other mental health professional to diagnose and treat depression, anxiety and other conditions related to mental health. Care is delivered in a non-hospital setting, such as a doctor’s office, or a hospital outpatient clinic.
- Outpatient psychiatric services provided by a medical doctor who specializes in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of mental disorders.
- Inpatient mental health services provided in an inpatient psychiatric hospital, a unit of an acute care hospital or a rural critical access hospital.
- Outpatient partial hospitalization provided through a hospital outpatient program or by a community center. These highly structured programs offer an alternative to full hospitalization but provide more intense treatment than available in a doctor’s office or other outpatient setting.
The following organizations partner with SCAN Desert Health Plan to provide behavioral health support to members:
- Doctors On Demand (offered as a supplemental benefit for certain SCAN plans)
- Lucet (offered through certain medical groups that work with SCAN; see FAQ below)
- Windstone Behavioral Health (offered to members who get medical care with VillageHealth medical group in California)
How to Use These Services
- Mental health services require that you see an in-network mental health professional for all covered services and a referral is required for most services. But depending on your plan, you may be able to self-refer for outpatient mental health services. Check your plan materials to find out if and when you will need a referral from your regular doctor.
- Call your primary care doctor’s office and describe what you’re feeling. Your doctor may want to see you to do an exam to rule out any physical causes or to screen for depression. If no physical condition is found, your doctor may decide to prescribe a medication or give you a referral to see a mental health specialist.
