Question from Caring.com Community Member, Opiegirl
Can Medicare refer you to a psychiatrist who accepts Medicare?
Expert Answer by Joseph L. Matthews
Joseph L. Matthews is a Caring.com senior editor, an attorney, and the author of Long-Term Care: How to Plan & Pay for It and Social Security, Medicare, & Government Pensions: Get the Most Out of Your Retirement & Medical Benefits.
Yes, the Medicare web site has an interactive service called the Find a Physician page. Click on it and you can find a psychiatrist near you who accepts Medicare patients. Or, you can get the same information by calling Medicare toll-free at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Bear in mind, though, that getting from Medicare the name of psychiatrists who accept Medicare patients doesn't guarantee that a particular doctor will accept you as a patient. Many doctors limit the number of Medicare patients they will accept, and many doctors simply have a full patient roster and do not accept any new patients. The fact that a doctor accepts Medicare doesn't mean he or she is required to accept you as a patient.
