Meeting Mental Health Needs: Mind MD Now Accepts Variety of Insurance Plans

By Susan Payne

Across the United States, wait time for mental health care appointments can take months, but that’s an issue that Mind MD in Los Angeles is looking to solve locally with its urgent outpatient services.

Launched over a year ago, Mind MD is a mental health and addiction urgent care center located at 8500 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills serving the surrounding areas of Culver City, West Hollywood, Hollywood, Santa Monica and Venice.

Mind MD offers outpatient services for residents in Los Angeles, giving people access to urgent mental health and transitional services with its sooner-rather-than-later approach to medical care.

After careful and conscientious evaluation, the Mind MD wellness team develops an individualized care plan to match patient needs including outpatient detox, crisis care, medication management or psychotherapy and options for group, family, individual and couple therapy.

“Mental health is urgent until you have a steadier plan and support in place. The important part is having access to that care,” said Mind MD chief executive officer Ari Hirt. If someone is discharging or finishing one level of care in a program or hospital, there’s usually a gap period, and that’s where Mind MD can fill in.

“Access, support and case management is what we provide,” Hirt said.

Experienced mental health professional and crisis responders at Mind MD are prepared to help patients upon arrival and provide comprehensive psychiatric evaluations or medication management for each new client. Although walk-in services are available, patients who make an appointment can be seen within days, typically. Some patients use these transitional services until their providers or next level of care providers, sometimes months out, are available.

“Make that first appointment with us and in a six-week period, we’ll make sure they are stable and safe, and initiate treatment for when your provider has you scheduled,” Hirt said.

Mind MD does not provide long-term services but is careful when creating shortterm treatment plans.

“If someone has deep trauma from childhood, for example, we won’t start therapy and then in two or three months refer them to another provider,” said Hirt. “There’s no steadfast rule, everything is case-by-case.”

Because Mind MD is disciplined to the gap period, the medical office is able to collaborate with community constituents without competitiveness.

“We’re trying to make everything work for everyone. If a program discharged someone, they can be referred to Mind MD and get the immediate support they need for the next stage of care,” Hirt said.

Mind MD offers telehealth services, hybridmodel services and in-person services.

“We encourage first appointments to be inperson, and then people transition to telehealth depending on the case,” Hirt said. “We take pride in that we can offer both solutions, that’s really important to us.”

As of October, the health center is now able to accept a variety of insurance including Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Magellan Blue Shiel, Aetna, Optum United Health Group and Medicare.

“If someone doesn’t have insurance, we priced our cash prices for initial evaluations very reasonable,” Hirt said. “Our goal is to make mental health care as accessible as possible in terms of appointments and affordability.”

Recently, Mind MD has started offering ketamine infusions for treatment-resistant forms of depression and anxiety.

Mind MD is working toward breaking the stigma of mental health with its central location, street-level welcoming office space. For more information on the wellness center, visit https://www.mindmdwellness.com/ or call 424-307-9504 to make an appointment. For individuals going through crisis or danger, find the closest emergency department near you, call 9-1-1 or call the suicide and crisis lifeline at 9-8-8.