Services

Neuroscience Associates Inc. provides primarily diagnostic and consultative services in both outpatient and inpatient settings, although we provide limited psychotherapeutic interventions primarily on an inpatient basis in acute rehabilitation settings. Referral sources include physicians, psychologists and other mental health practitioners, insurance carriers, managed care organizations, IPAs and PPOs, educational institutions, attorneys, the courts, and government agencies.

Outpatient Services:

Patients may be scheduled for consultative services in our primary offices at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Office Towers. Additionally, several of our Associates also maintain other office locations around the greater Los Angeles Area, which may provide a more convenient location for some patients. Occasionally we will see patients in other community-based settings, and at their homes if necessary (both for an extra charge).

Inpatient Services:

Many of our services are also provided in inpatient medical center-based settings. We provide our services in acute rehabilitation units, psychiatry units, as well as medical and surgical services, and specialty cancer programs. We may also visit free-standing specialized treatment programs including subacute and long-term brain injury rehabilitation programs, substance abuse treatment programs, and skilled nursing facilities. Presently, our Associates hold privileges at several medical centers throughout the area.

Adult and Geriatric Services:

We provide comprehensive neuropsychological and psychodiagnostic assessment services to both adults and to the elderly. Several of our Associates possess special interest and expertise in the assessment of geriatric patients with a variety of cognitive and behavioral disorders that may include dementia syndromes of various causes, as well as the more common mood disorders that are frequently accompanied by a variety of cognitive complaints generally associated with memory loss. Elderly patients who are depressed are frequently misdiagnosed as having a CNS disease-related dementia syndrome. Since depressive disorders are frequently treatable and often fully reversible, this is a particularly important differential diagnosis among the elderly.

Pediatric and Adolescent Services:

Three of our current Associates also possess specialty skills in Pediatric and Adolescent Neuropsychology. Such cases often involve developmental disorders, attention-deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity, psychoeducational disorders, and at times injuries and diseases of the brain and nervous system (e.g. traumatic, infectious, metabolic, neoplastic, etc.). Differential diagnosis of behavioral and emotional disorders, particularly those that are associated with cognitive difficulties and school-related problems, are among our more frequent referrals. We work closely with several pediatricians, child neurologists, child psychiatrists and special educators in order to provide for the most comprehensive assessment and necessary treatment planning and interventions.

Psychodiagnostic Assessment Services:

A smaller, but nonetheless important, part of our practice involves the provision of psychodiagnostic assessment services. Many of the patients that require these services have histories of mental illnesses of various types and severity that may also be accompanied by cognitive problems. Thus, we are able to provide both projective and objective psychodiagnostic assessment. We provide psychodiagnostic evaluations Of patients with chronic pain syndromes and other medical disorders (generally in rehabilitation settings). Additionally, psychodiagnostic assessment may be particularly important in forensic cases involving bodily injury and emotional distress (unrelated to brain injury).

Many patients with behavioral and emotional disorders may present with associated cognitive complaints and deficits that are not associated with primary neurological disorders. Thus, a comprehensive differential diagnosis may prove invaluable in the development of an effective treatment program with resolution of the cognitive complaints. Psychodiagnostic assessment is often a valuable component of this process.

Multi-Cultural/Multi-Lingual Services:

We do not always require the assistance of interpreters in order to complete neuropsychological, psychodiagnostic, and speech-language assessments. We have several Associates in neuropsychology and speech-language pathology who are fully bilingual and able to completely assess patients in their native languages (including English, Spanish, Russian, Hebrew and Chinese). We are able to provide these services in both outpatient and inpatient settings and for pediatric, adolescent, adult and geriatric cases.

Forensic Services:

Neuroscience Associates provides a variety of forensic-related services. We offer case review and consultation that often promotes a streamlined and more cost-effective approach to forensic case management. This includes multi-disciplinary team consultation and client evaluations, records review and analysis, organization of expert panels, preparation of reports and other litigation-related activities. We believe that our team-approach has helped to promote satisfactory settlements in many of the most difficult brain injury-related claims to the benefit of all parties.

Other Available Services:

We have access to a wide variety of additional medical, neurological, psychiatric and rehabilitative services to whom we may wish to refer for further diagnostic study and consultation. Examples may include traditional neurodiagnostic measures such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and standard clinical electroencephalography (EEG).

Given the complexity of many of our referrals, we may also wish to refer occasional selected patients for additional functional brain imaging studies that include single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), quantitative EEG (QEEG), invasive EEG with telemetry, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI/MRS). Since many of these measures are primarily experimental in nature with only very limited applications in the areas of brain disease and related neurobehavioral disorders, such referrals are highly selected and closely scrutinized prior to referral for such studies. All referrals for additional medical, laboratory and neurodiagnostic evaluations are made with physician review and consent, with the agreement of all parties involved, and generally include payment pre-authorization.

Life care planning services are an important part of the future care picture for many patients with severe brain injuries and diseases that are more enduring or lifelong. Since it is most important to allocate various services to such patients in a cost-effective manner, we may refer to life care planners for further consultation. Most often, these consultants are nursing professionals with additional training, expertise and experience in the life care planning process.

How To Refer To Us:

Ordinarily referrals are called into our offices and the Administrative Case Manager will review each incoming case referral for specific diagnostic and consultative questions that will assist in the proper triage of the referral. A financial screening will be completed and arrangements for payment of our services will be made. A schedule of fees and services will be made available on request. There is a charge for no-show/late cancellations.

You may contact us for further information and scheduling by calling (310) 855-1265.

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