Referrals
This section should be helpful for clinicians who have patients they need to refer to the Neuromodulation Program
What sort of evaluations are done in the Neuromodulation Program?
The Neuromodulation Clinic sees patients for evaluations, principally for treatment resistant depression (TRD) where vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is an option. If you know that your patient needs ECT, a direct referral to the ECT program might be more appropriate. If you are not sure what your patient needs, a TRD evaluation may be appropriate. For Neuromodulation and TRD evaluations, your patient is evaluated by a experienced psychiatric nurse practitioner in the Depression Center, or by a resident. All patients are staff by senior attending psychiatrists. Patients who are being considered for VNS, are discussed in a multi-disciplinary team meeting, and feedback is provided to the clinician.
Does this involve transferring my patient to the Depression Center?
In most cases, no, neuromodulation treatment is provided as an adjunct to regular therapies.
Who do I contact for an evaluation?
For Neuromodulation, TRD or ECT evaluations, please contact the admissions and appointments office at 1-800-525-5188 or 734-764-9190. A clinical summary of the patient's course of illness, along with a record of therapies tried, is extremely helpful for the evaluation.
