Information You Should Know

When requesting an appointment, you will choose to pay private pay or insured. Note, at this time Dr. Valentino is primarily taking private pay patients to protect your patient privacy, but also accepts most Cigna plans. Otherwise, the patient will receive a "superbill" which the patient can submit to their insurance once a month to be reimbursed. Please check your insurance website and policy. These are the only plans accepted.  This still needs to be verified as there are sometimes user errors, and is done before your session is confirmed or there is any charge. You will get a secure message of your copay. Otherwise it will be Private Pay. 

Note, not all plans cover all services, such as Couples therapy or for some sexual dysfunctions with organic causes. 

If you are interested in couples therapy via telehealth, Dr. Valentino prefers to see each patient individually first, then will allow a couples session to be booked. Each patient must book individually first.  

Please remember you must be in New York state to receive treatment by Dr. Valentino, as that is where she is a licensed psychologist.

Below you can request your First Session to start changing your life by clicking the "Request Your First Session -Click Here" button. 

You will then be contacted soon after with intake forms before confirmation of your appointment.

This is to ensure confidentiality.

PLEASE REQUEST A TIME THAT WILL WORK FOR YOU WEEKLY IN THE EVENT YOU ARE PLEASED WITH THE EVALUATION, AS DR. VALENTINO'S SCHEDULE IS VERY FULL, AND WEEKLY THERAPY SESSIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR OPTIMAL CARE IF YOU WISH TO CONTINUE TREATMENT. 

Although Dr. Valentino, an experienced top psychologist in New York, highly values you privacy and discretion, insurance limits this whether you use telehealth or in office with any doctor. Your doctor may not tell you, but to bill insurance codes and diagnostic codes are required from the very first session. Dr. Valentino does not bill through third parties, only directly to the insurance carriers to limit exposure to your information, and only uses the Electronic Medical Record Platform (EMR) to book which is fully HIPAA complaint, but it is just a calendar. She does not keep electronic records, and all information that is electronic at any time is encrypted and destroyed. But, if you are ensured, it can be audited, and although it has never happened as Dr. Valentino goes to great lengths to be complaint to protect your privacy and avoid this, it can happen. Dr. Valentino will do everything possible to disclose as little as possible, but due to contractual obligations with your insurance, this is not with in her control. Therefore, keep reading as you may prefer to opt to schedule as private pay for your confidentiality.

Some things are private, and should stay that way, like your personal health information. Greed and health care should not go hand and hand... keep your information private between just you and your doctor.

DO YOU KNOW THAT WHEN YOU SEE A DOCTOR, INCLUDING  A PSYCHOLOGIST OR SEX THERAPIST, IN THE FIRST SESSION THEY MUST MAKE A DIAGNOSIS TO PUT ON RECORD  FOR INSURANCE COMPANIES, FOREVER, EVEN IF YOU CHANGE PLANS IN OR OUT OF NEW YORK?

Unlike with the constraints of paying with insurance, Dr. Valentino has much more power to protect your information when you are private pay for your telehealth sessions. Unless requested for legal reasons, which will be disclosed to you before hand insured or not, which is unlikely, your records are protected. Even still, in either case doctor-patient privilege is always asserted. But, given the discretion provided with my practice, no electronic records, no billings being processed, and accepting payment confidentially, you are getting the most discreet care possible.