TMS Intake Process

Struggling with depression is hard and we understand patients a urgency to start a treatment that can lead them on a new path of hope. As we get to know each patient who comes to us seeking TMS treatment, we try our best to make the TMS intake process as efficient as possible.

Below you will find the steps taken to start TMS or to see if TMS is a good treatment option for you or a loved one.

Step 1.  Patient Phone Screen

Patients may be referred by their providers or contact us about TMS treatment. If you were referred, our TMS coordinator will reach out to you by phone for the initial phone screening. During the phone screening, we will get to know the patient’s by covering their current and historical clinical information regarding their treatment in depression. The phone screening will help us determine if TMS treatment may be a good fit for the patient.

If you would like to learn about starting TMS, please call 781-963-7775 ext 21 or leave your information below to get a call back.

Request a TMS Consultation

 

If you are a provider and would like to refer a patient, please click the button below and fill out the form about your patient and we will reach out to your patient shortly.

(The button below will take you to a third party service that is confidential and HIPAA compliant.)
Provider Referral Form

Step 2. Online Patient Intake Forms

After the phone screen, we will determine if a patient may be appropriate for TMS based on the verbal information they have provided. These patients will be asked to complete the Patient TMS Intake Form, which consists of a few questionnaires and release forms to be able to contact their current and previous providers. This intake form can be completed in about 15 minutes.

Patient TMS Intake Form
(The button above will take you to a third party service that is confidential and HIPAA compliant.)

Step 3. Contact Patient’s Providers for Clinical Records

Once patients have completed the Patient TMS Intake Form, we will contact each provider and request the patient’s clinical records. Receiving information back from providers can take some time, so we ask the patients who were not referred by a provider to inform each provider in advance that we will be contacting them. Some providers may take 1 – 2 weeks to deliver patient clinical records.

Step 4.  Initial Consultation with TMS Doctor

Once we have received all clinical information from patient’s providers, our doctors will review their record file.  An initial consultation will be scheduled to confirm the appropriateness for TMS and to answer any of the patients questions about TMS in the treatment of their depression.

Step 5. Request Prior Authorization from Patient’s Insurance. 

All insurances require that patients meet their criteria of medical necessity in order to be covered for TMS treatment. After our doctors have confirmed that the patient is appropriate for TMS, we will contact their insurance to acquire prior authorization. Depending on your insurance plan, it may take up to 1 – 3 weeks before authorization is confirmed.

Each insurance provider is different, so patients are asked to confirm with their insurance policy to confirm if treatment will be covered and what payments they will be responsible for. 

Please see below a basic list of criteria most insurances will ask patients to meet in order to receive coverage.

BOTH OF THE FOLLOWING MUST BE MET:

  • Must have a diagnosis of Major Depression (single or recurrent episode) as defined by the most recent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)

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AND

  • ​A trial of evidenced-based psychotherapy know to be effective in the treatment of MDD of an adequate frequency and duration without significant improvements in depressive symptoms

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AND

ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING:

  • A lack of clinically significant response, in the depressive treatment episode, to three or four (dependent on insurance) trials, from at least two different agent classes, including at least one anti-depressant medication, administered at an adequate dose and duration of at least 4 or 6 weeks (dependent on insurance);
  • Inability to tolerate psychopharmacologic agents as evidenced by failed trials of four such agents with distinct, documented side effects;
  • History of response to rtms in a previous depressive episode;
  • Currently receiving electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
  • Currently considering ECT; rtms may be considered as a less invasive treatment option
  • Under 18 years of age
  • Are pregnant
  • Presence of an implanted magnetic-sensitive device located less than or equal to 30 cm from the TMS magnetic coil or other implanted metal items, not limited to:
    • Cochlear implant
    • Implanted cardiac defibrillator
    • Pacemaker
    • Vagus nerve stimulation
    • Mental aneurysm clips, coils, staples, or stents
  • Seizure disorder or any history of seizures (except those induced by ECT or isolated febrile seizures in infancy without subsequent treatment or recurrence)
  • Neurological conditions that include epilepsy, cerebrovascular disease, dementia, increased intracranial pressure, history of repetitive or severe head trauma, or primary or secondary tumors in the central nervous system
  • Presence of acute or chronic psychotic symptoms or disorders in the current depressive episode
  • Current active history of:
    • Bipolar Disorder
    • Eating Disorder
    • Psychotic Disorder, including Schizoaffective Disorder

Step 6. Schedule First TMS Session (Mapping Appointment)

Once patient’s insurance has provided our facility with prior authorization, we will call the patient to schedule their first TMS appointment. All other TMS appointments will then be scheduled with the TMS coordinator. 

Learn More About TMS