Psychiatric Services in a Private Fee-for-Service Setting

Scope of Practice:

Steven J. Welton, MD, PLLC provides psychiatric care to Adult and Child/Adolescent Patients who require assessment and management of a variety of emotional disorders. These include:

1. Affective Disorders to include Depression and Mood Difficulties

2. Anxiety Disorders to include Generalized Anxiety, Panic, Phobias, Social Anxiety, Posttraumatic Stress, and Obsessive Compulsive Difficulties

3. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders

4. Developmental Disorders in Children and Adolescents to include Separation Anxiety, Autistic Spectrum, Impulse Control, and Behavioral Problems

5. Situational and Adjustment Disorders including grief responses and other specific reactions to divorce, separation, and re-marriage

6. Low grade substance abuse disorders but in context of a primary psychiatric difficulty, i.e someone who may be using substances to self-medicate their difficulties.  However there is not expertise to provide sophisticated substance abuse management where it is the primary presenting concern.

Primary focus is establishing a comprehensive understanding of the psychosocial and neurobiological/genetic contributions to difficulties and providing appropriate medical and pharmaceutical interventions specific to my patient’s needs. Any Psychotherapy or Family Therapy provided would be short term with specific goals and focus essential.

This practice is PART TIME and my level of availability limited, so that acute crisis that require intensive interventions are likely not appropriate for my services. Nonetheless, as a skilled clinician that has 40 years of practice experience, acute turmoil in anyone’s life is sometimes unpredictable, and if I have accepted you as a patient, I will do my best to serve those needs as they arise.

Pictured: Entrance to 4801 Hermitage Road, Suite 103, RVA 23227

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About Dr. Welton

STEVEN J. WELTON, M.D.
B.S. North Dakota State University, 1970
M.D. University of Minnesota Medical School 1974
General Psychiatry Residency, Menninger School of Psychiatry, 1977
Child/Adolescent Fellowship, Menninger School of Psychiatry, 1978

Dr. Welton is a board certified Child/Adolescent and General Psychiatrist with over 40 years of experience in providing mental health services. His early career was in New York City were he worked in Social Service and was involved in Community Mental Health and Training in Child/Adolescent and Family Therapy for a large agency that had offices in Manhattan and Brooklyn. This grounded him in a psychosocial model of intervention and helped him to solidify his understanding of family systems.  This provides him with a unique perspective when assessing patients in understanding the contributions of context and family dynamics across the age spectrum. His move to Richmond in 1989 lead to new experiences in providing hospital care and residential treatment in a private psychiatric hospital setting during his initial time here. A slowly growing private practice ultimately became his central focus evolving into his managing role in a multidisciplinary clinic called Village Family Psychiatry. Here he worked with another psychiatrist, psychologists, clinical social workers, and professional counselors to deliver care to a broad range of ages (2 years to 75 years of age). 

Now he is evolving once again into what he references as semi-retirement (which working 2 days a week really seems). He brings the same energy, expertise, and devotion to his patients that has been a hallmark of his long years of service to the Richmond community. It will give him the necessary time in this phase of his life to pursue his passionate interest in gardening, for involvement in his beloved Northside Richmond Community (Ginter Park), and for travel that will be more flexibly possible with a limited work week. He is excited that his office is now more imbedded in that local community. Just as he sees the family system as a vital building block for all development, he sees the community as the entity where we can have the most influence and contribute in the most meaningful way at this moment in our culture.

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General Policies and Financial Obligation

1. Steven J. Welton, M.D. PLLC is operating as a fee for service practice and you need to be aware he is not a participant in any health insurance panels or organizations. It is expected that your fees will be paid by credit card, check, or cash at or before the time of service.

2. The practice has no provision for billing patients or accruing any kind of balances on your account.

3. Appointments cancelled within less than 48 hours of the appointed time will be charged at the full rate of the appointment scheduled. Because of his limited schedule there will be no exceptions to this requirement including sickness (patient or family members), work demands, or transportation issues. Appointments cannot be rescheduled until any fees related to this are paid in full.

4. Services provided will be charged as follows:

   Initial psychiatric assessment: 45 minutes  $ 400.00 Routine/uncomplicated medication Follow-up: 15 minutes $ 125.00 Complicated extended medication Follow-up: 20–25 minutes $ 200.00 Psychotherapy/Family Therapy: 45 minutes  $ 300.00 Extended telephone consultation, report preparation, and other requested services charged for each 15 minute Increment of professional time required $ 100.00 Legal fees for record review, transportation time, court appearance charged hourly $ 600.00 Record review for prescriptions provided outside of regularly scheduled appointment times $   30.00

5. Individuals with Medicare will agree to sign an opt out waiver for Dr. Welton acknowledging their understanding that his charges are not reimbursable through Medicare or any secondary coverage they may have.

6. Patients with health insurance can receive a statement for services rendered that they can submit directly to their insurance carrier themselves for any “out of network” benefits they may have. They would then be reimbursed directly by the insurance carrier. Dr. Welton will not be involved in this process and it will be entirely at your discretion should you seek such reimbursement.

7. At Dr. Welton’s discretion, cumbersome prior authorization procedures for medication prescribed required by your insurance carrier will generate charges for his time.

8. At the time of your initial registration into his practice you will sign an agreement that you have read and understand these financial policies and will abide by them as long as you are his patient.  You will further attest to an understanding that the scope of his practice is part time in nature and his level of availability will be restricted to the part time hours of his work week.  You will agree to seek help in a crisis situation by going to the Emergency Room of your local hospital or call 911.  Patients who are unable to follow these guidelines and requirements either because they chose not to do so or the nature of their disorder requires more intensive care will agree to seek help elsewhere and be discharged from care at Dr. Welton’s discretion.

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