Picture this. It’s a Sunday night, you’ve been meaning to call someone for months, and your Aetna card is sitting in your wallet like it’s judging you. You open the laptop, type a few searches, and every result looks either too far away or way too complicated. Honestly, that’s where a lot of people quit.
So here’s the short version. Life Balance Health sees adults by video in three western states, and Aetna Insurance is on the list of plans the practice accepts in every one of them. That means the mental health services you’ve been putting off might be a lot closer than you think. Closer, in fact, than the couch you’re probably sitting on.
Why Video Visits Take the Pressure Off
All visits are conducted over a HIPAA compliant video conferencing solution. No waiting room, no once and twice street parking, no sweating in the rush to get out the driveway, get in place, and introduce my coat and zowie too long to get in quick. Patients log in from the comfort of their own homes in Sacramento, Los Angeles, Yuba City, Las Vegas and Portland, and the practice even has an address in Reno. That’s the changing of getting the booking and bailing for a lot of people.
Think about a shift worker in Las Vegas who can’t burn half a day on a single appointment. Or a parent in Portland whose only quiet hour shows up after the kids are asleep. The practice describes its approach as telehealth psychiatric care designed for your life, and that’s the idea behind the mental health services here: care that works around a messy week instead of demanding a perfect one.
Who You’d Actually Be Talking To
Your provider is Patrick Ollar, MSN and APRN and a board certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. He works with adults. Instead of applying the same procedure to all clients, he takes the time to learn what’s going on, says the practice. Sure, plenty of clinics say that; he has one too.
Where His Experience Comes From
Before outpatient work, Patrick spent time in inpatient psychiatric settings, emergency departments, crisis stabilization units and community mental health. Four very different rooms. The practice says that gives him a view of mental illness well beyond what a standard outpatient clinic would offer.
It does not end after the first appointment! He does watch you and responds when your symptoms change; he adjusts your plan as life changes. Part of his work is the management of the medication, closely involving himself with each patient to discover the method that is suitable for them and adjust the dosage as he progresses to various periods.
What the Practice Treats
The website lists a long run of conditions. Here’s most of it:
- Depression
- Anxiety, plus panic
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- Bipolar disorder
- Insomnia, with daytime sleepiness getting its own separate page
- PTSD
- Schizophrenia and psychosis
- Substance use disorders
That doesn’t mean that your own situation doesn’t fall into one of the neat categories, it’s just not a case of “or”. There are lots of people out there with anxiety and poor sleep tied together, and both these are their own page on the site. Use whatever is the loudest at this time, and allow the first conversation to address the rest.
Using Aetna Insurance Without the Guesswork
Say your card reads Aetna and you live in Sacramento. Good news first. The practice’s insurance page lists Aetna under California patients, and again under Nevada patients and Oregon patients. Other names show up on some of those lists too, like Anthem Blue Cross and Providence Health Plan, but Aetna turns up in every state the practice covers.
That’s why this page exists, really. If you’ve been hunting for a provider who takes Aetna Insurance and also sees people by video, you can quit scrolling through directories that never seem up to date. Nobody should need three browser tabs and a headache just to find a psychiatric nurse practitioner.
Check Before You Book
A listed insurance is a beginning, not a guarantee about your insurance plan. Plans are different, but that’s the site says: Most insurance plans are accepted and you’ll need to contact the Insurance plan for further information. Call 702 551 2516 and find out what your specific Aetna plan is. With that in hand, you’ll be able to keep the member card handy as you do.
Say a woman in Portland is switching jobs and her coverage is about to change. She’d want that confirmed before the first visit, not after. Boring work, honestly. But one short call about Aetna Insurance beats a surprise on a bill weeks later.
Getting Started, and Getting Help Fast
Booking is simple. You can call the practice or use the online booking system on the website. Life Balance Health is currently accepting new patients in California, Oregon and Nevada, and every patient is seen by video. Pick a spot at home where nobody will wander in halfway through.
Just one more thing, and it’s serious. This practice is NOT an emergency service. If you are in emotional distress, send a text to HOME (741741) for someone to contact you right away or call or text 988 to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Helpline) which is open 24 hours, 7 days a week. If you have a medical or mental health emergency dial 911 or present to the closest Emergency Department.
Conclusion
Can’t find mental health services shouldn’t be a second job. The insurance page lists Aetna Insurance for patients in California, Nevada and Oregon and Life Balance Health has adult psychiatric care by video that is delivered by a highly experienced nurse practitioner. Commit it by calling it once, agree to a time that works for your week and get started! Do not expect better on any Sunday night for your mental health services.
FAQs
Is Life Balance Health insured by Aetna Insurance?
Yes. Aetna is featured in the practice’s insurance section of the website for Californians, Nevadans, and Oregonians. Even before booking, call 702 551 2516 to make sure that you know exactly what you are booking.
Do I have to go to the office?
Yes, all patients are attended via telehealth via HIPAA compliant video conferencing so you can come from home.
What services are offered in the practice to address mental health?
Treatment of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, ADHD, insomnia, PTSD, schizophrenia, substance use and many other disorders in adults. One of the essential elements of care is the management of medications.
Who will I see?
Board certified adult Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Patrick Ollar.
How do I book?
Use the practice or send an online booking request on the website. New patients at present being accepted.
