General
How do I find the office?
835 Maryland Avenue, Syracuse NY 13210 is located in a safe neighborhood of families and students close to Syracuse University.
Maryland Avenue is perpendicular to Euclid Avenue and parallel to Westcott Street. Facing the University, you will turn left on Maryland Avenue off of Euclid Avenue. The office is located in a big white house six houses in on the left. The house has white columns, a white porch swing, black shutters and a red mailbox! The house number is on the door. There is a buzzer and an intercom at the front door.
Where should I park?
Dr. Haxton's office offers convenient street parking, with off street parking in the driveway sometimes available. If the driveway spot is open please feel free to use it.
What should I bring to the first evaluation?
Please bring insurance, drug plan and pharmacy information. In order to prescribe for you Dr. Haxton will need your pharmacy name and address with zip code.
For the Initial Evaluation Dr Haxton will schedule two 50-minute sessions back to back. This large block of time allows Dr. Haxton to thoroughly explore your reason for seeking treatment, obtain your complete medical and psychiatric history and establish treatment goals and plans.
For TMS Therapy, please refer to the checklist of questions for your insurance company and to the medical history checklist.
Printer Friendly worksheets are provided here.
Billing
Are your services covered under my insurance?
Dr. Haxton offers several payment suggestions to make your psychiatric services affordable. Dr. Haxton is a non-participating provider with all insurance plans. This means that Dr. Haxton does not accept payment directly from your insurance company. This helps to protect your privacy and to make sure that your care is not determined by anyone other than your doctor.
You will be provided with a detailed financial statement at the end of your session. You can submit this claim to your insurance to be reimbursed directly from them according to the parameters of your plan. Payment is due at the time of each session and can be made by check, credit card or cash.
Short-term, interest free medical loans are also available. These medical loans can help patients pay for treatment while insurance reimbursement is processed or allow for payment over time.
What if I can't afford the out-of-pocket cost before I submit the claim to my insurance?
Short-term, interest free medical loans are available to help patients pay for treatment while insurance reimbursement is processed.
Services
What is the difference between a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker and nurse practitioner?
While psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and nurse practitioners offer similar services, there are important differences between them.
Psychiatrists are medical doctors with many years of training in general medicine before specialized training for 4-6 additional years in psychiatry. An important difference is in the depth and scope of their medical and psychiatric knowledge, and in their experience with neurologic and other medical conditions, with non-psychiatric medications, and in prescribing psychiatric medication.
Psychologists are trained at the Masters or PhD level and provide psychological testing, talk therapy and cognitive behavioral therapies.
Social workers train for 1-2 years after college and may do counseling and psychotherapy.
Nurse practitioners have training beyond nursing school of variable extent. They may also provide counseling and psychotherapy. Some may have prescriptive privileges although their scope of expertise is significantly less extensive than a physician.
It is important to remember that the ability of a practitioner to be helpful to you and to provide good quality care is not determined by their degree.
Dr. Haxton is an experienced psychiatrist who offers both psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy services as well as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.
What is Psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy refers to the non-pharmacologic treatment of psychiatric illness, including cognitive-behavioral techniques and talk therapy. Psychotherapy may be supportive, which means helping patients manage their day-to-day difficulties. It may also be insight oriented which involves looking to the patient's past for formative life experiences which influence the present. Psychotherapy is sometimes called the talking cure and relies to a great extent on the engagement between patient and therapist.
Learn more about Dr. Haxton’s psychotherapy services.
What is Pharmacotherapy?
Pharmacotherapy means treatment utilizing medication. Dr. Haxton has more than 25 years of pharmacotherapy experience with expertise in treatment resistant and hard to treat illness, including treatment of patients who take multiple medications for other illnesses.
Learn more about Dr. Haxton’s pharmacotherapy services.
What is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS Therapy)?
Printer-Friendly Introduction to TMS
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, also known as TMS or TMS therapy, is a depression treatment for patients who have not had a satisfactory response to medication or who would like to pursue drug-free treatment.
TMS uses magnetic energy to stimulate a part of the brain that regulates mood.
TMS is an FDA approved treatment for depression. Major medical centers, including Harvard, Brown, Johns Hopkins, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Mass General and more use TMS therapy.
Learn more about Dr. Haxton’s TMS therapy.
What can a patient expect from treatment with Dr. Haxton?
While this depends on which service is most suitable for a patient (psychotherapy +/or, pharmacotherapy +/or TMS therapy), the initial treatment session consists of two, back-to-back 50 minute sessions. This allows Dr. Haxton to get a thorough understanding of a patient’s reason for seeking treatment, to obtain a complete medical and psychiatric history, and to establish immediate and long-term treatment plans.
Dr. Haxton provides a professional, private, safe and nonjudgmental environment.
What should a patient ask Dr. Haxton?
Psychiatric treatment is about the patient. Patients should be comfortable with discussing what is on their mind. Patients may want to ask about what their diagnosis means now and for their future, as well as the most effective treatment options. The pros and cons of various treatment approaches and regimens can be discussed. Both therapeutic effects (helpful) and adverse responses (medication side effects) can be discussed so you know what to expect. Short-term and long-term treatment plans can be reviewed.
Will anyone know about what I say to Dr. Haxton?
Dr. Haxton understands the importance of respecting patient privacy. Because she does not participate with insurance companies, and because she does not utilize an electronic medical record or have office support staff, everything you say and she records in your chart is strictly confidential. The only situation in which this Doctor-Patient confidentiality can be broken is if Dr. Haxton feels that you are in danger of hurting yourself, someone else, or unable to care for yourself. A judge, but not a lawyer, can subpoena medical records, although this is very rare. Dr. Haxton never shares patient information unless the patient requests that she do so.
How often do I need to see Dr. Haxton?
Patients are seen for 50 minute sessions on a schedule ranging from twice weekly to every 3-4 months. Teenagers and patients on controlled substances are seen at least monthly. Early in treatment or when significant changes in medication are being made, patients are seen more frequently. Once someone is feeling better they may choose to come less often.
How do I schedule an appointment with Dr. Haxton?
New or existing patients may schedule an appointment with Dr. Haxton by calling 315-449-4900.
Messages will be returned by Dr. Haxton promptly, typically during the evening. Most calls are returned on the same business day. Urgent calls placed on evenings and weekends will be returned ASAP.
