The initial appointment is an interview that generally lasts about 60-90 minutes. Dr. Orr will ask questions to gather information about the current concerns and the patient’s history. Through discussion, Dr. Orr and the patient and/or family will determine what additional records may be helpful, if not already provided, and the potential for moving onto a testing session is discussed in detail.
In most cases, testing would be helpful to answer certain questions and help guide treatment. However, there may be times when testing is not appropriate or needs to be deferred, and this will be discussed at the end of the initial consultation. If a patient is not moving forward with testing, they will be able to acquire a summary of their consultation and preliminary impressions.
Typically, testing sessions occur a couple weeks after the initial consultation. The follow-up session to discuss results is then scheduled about 2-3 weeks after the testing session, as long as all records and informant rating forms have been completed/returned to the provider.
Sometimes, a report will be ready for a patient at the time of follow-up. In other instances, Dr. Orr may wish to discuss certain aspects of the results during the follow-up session and then finalize the report a few days later. Patients will always have a report within a few days of the follow-up session, if not at the session itself.
Generally, no. Because Dr. Orr is not currently in network with any insurance providers, there are no mandates to acquire referrals for the evaluation. However, if a provider on a patient’s treatment team has recommended the evaluation, Dr. Orr may want to obtain a referral or talk to the referring provider to ensure she understands the reason for the referral. This helps ensure that Dr. Orr is helping to guide treatment in useful ways.
Neuropsychological testing for all individuals — children, adults, and geriatrics — involves paper-and-pencil and interactive problem-solving activities to understand cognitive skills across a variety of areas. The process of testing helps illustrate how the individual approaches tasks and problems and behaves in general to a wide range of questions and challenges. Many times, the patient and others involved — parents, teachers, spouses, adult children, etc. — are asked to complete questionnaires about patterns they observe in daily life. Testing occurs while the patient is seated at a table with Dr. Orr in her office in Portsmouth. The session often lasts multiple hours, broken up by brief breaks as needed. Patients and examinees of all ages are encouraged to bring a drink and snacks. Sessions may sometimes be split into multiple days for certain circumstances, but typically the testing is all completed in one day.
Not at this time. Dr. Orr administers all testing herself.
Results are only shared with others from a general clinical evaluation if the patient or guardian provides written authorization, except in cases of safety concerns or mandated reporting. Dr. Orr will also be happy to send a report to designated individuals, providers, etc., with request and such permission. Evaluation results for those involved with third-party requests, such as forensic or legal evaluations, educationally contracted evaluations, or aviation (FAA/HIMS) evaluations, are characterized by special circumstances and typically involve the results being released to the third party upon completion. These types of evaluations require a specialized informed consent or assent process, during which the examinee will have opportunity to discuss these parameters with Dr. Orr before the exam begins. Detailed informed consent documents are provided to all examinees, and questions are always welcomed about these or any protocols at Seacoast Neuropsychology.