My office is located at 2006 SE Ankeny St., Portland, Oregon 97214

How do I know if these services are right for me?

It takes courage to open ourselves up to change. Whether you are new to mental health treatment or are simply in a new chapter, I believe it all starts with a conversation. I offer a free consultation phone call for us to briefly explore your goals for treatment and whether or not we both feel our therapeutic relationship would be fruitful. If in the end you feel that we’re not a good fit, I see it as a positive sign that you are intentional about the work you want to do.

If we are working together and you decide you need a change in the structure or orientation of our work, I encourage you to let me know. Feedback is genuinely a gift. Often we can adjust our work to better meet your needs, and if that’s not possible for any reason, I am happy to offer referrals or suggest resources for you to find the care you need. While deep growth is a gradual process, there is no expectation that you “stick it out” for longer than feels right to you. This is a professional service, and my goal is to support you.

What is a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, anyway?

Nurse Practitioners are graduate or doctorate-prepared providers who undergo advanced training to diagnose and treat conditions within their chosen specialty. Nurse Practitioners have been around since the 1960’s, but there are still a lot of misconceptions about how we offer care, how we are trained, and the differences between Nurse Practitioners, Physicians Assistants, and Medical Doctors. In the state of Oregon, Nurse Practitioners are fully independent and often have prescriptive authority equal to Medical Doctors. While our training is less broad – for example, I never had a surgery rotation – *evidence suggests* patient outcomes and satisfaction with care administered by Nurse Practitioners is on par with that of our physician counterparts. There’s a huge conversation to be had about “ideal training,” preparation, and cultures of care. At the end of the day, what matters is that you find a provider you feel comfortable speaking to, and with whom you can collaborate effectively toward the progress you seek.

* https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32384361/*

Where is your office located? Do you offer Telehealth?

My office is located at the corner of SE 20^th Avenue and Ankeny St., near Laurelhurst Park in Portland, Oregon. It is a big old house that has been retrofitted into office space for therapists, body-workers, and practitioners of many different specialties. I find it quite cozy and inviting. I offer Telehealth as well, via video and telephone, at your discretion. Often I find it useful to meet in person at the beginning of establishing services and transition to remote if that is more convenient in your life. However, this is not required and I am happy to meet virtually (many clients live outside of Portland, for example).

What insurance companies are you in-network with?

I am an In-Network provider with:

• Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Pacific Source
• Moda
• Providence Health Plans
• Aetna
• Kaiser PAR
• United Healthcare

I encourage you to verify insurance coverage by asking your insurance provider the following questions:

• Is Dario LaPoma, PMHNP considered in-network for my particular insurance plan?
• Do I have a deductible that must be met for mental health services?
• Will I have a co-payment?
• How many sessions are covered?

I am currently considered Out-of-Network for other insurance panels and am not currently paneled with Medicare or Medicaid. This is subject to change and I update my list of in-network panels any time there is a new development in the coverage I offer. I am happy to offer a detailed superbill for you to submit to insurance panels for which I am Out-of-Network, though insurance coverage will likely be less than In-Network panels. In order to keep out-of-pocket costs to a minimum, I prefer to bill insurance rather than offer cash-pay services, but I am happy to discuss this further and consider exceptional cases.

This stuff can be pretty confusing, even to those of us who work with it every day. If you have any additional questions about coverage or services, feel free to reach out.