For Patients
Deciding to seek treatment for your eating disorder can be a challenging decision, but the process of reaching out for help shouldn’t be. At Walden Behavioral Care, our admissions process is designed to make you feel comfortable as you seek help for your eating disorder and our admissions staff is available to answer any questions you may have along the way. They can be reached at 888-305-2997.
Admissions Process
The admissions process begins with a phone intake. During this call, an intake coordinator will collect demographic, insurance and clinical information. This includes past medical and psychiatric histories, current treatment and medications, previous treatments, family history, support systems and important telephone numbers, including your emergency contact and outpatient providers.
After the intake assessment, your intake coordinator will schedule a clinical evaluation at the Walden clinic closest to you. We ask that you bring your insurance card and a license or another acceptable form of identification to your evaluation.
In most situations, you will be required to have laboratory tests no sooner than 24 hours before arriving at Walden for your clinical evaluation. The admissions team will let you know where to fax your test results. In some cases, we may also request that you obtain medical clearance from either your primary care physician or local emergency room to ensure that your medical conditions will be resolved before arriving at Walden for your clinical evaluation.
A referral from your provider is not required. However, we will maintain communication with your outpatient providers during the admissions process, throughout your stay at Walden and after you’ve been discharged.
Clinical Evaluation
The clinical evaluation process typically takes 60 to 90 minutes. However, the entire process may take as long as five hours, depending on how quickly we receive lab results and a response from your insurance company.
- Initial review of all intake information.
- A level of care assessment with a clinician.
- A clinical assessment.
- An in-depth review of clinical information, including laboratory results and the clinical evaluation.
Based on the results, a recommendation will be made as to the appropriate treatment program you should enter. After the recommendation has been made, admissions will call your insurance company for approval of the recommended treatment. The clinician, if applicable, will also advise family members of the team’s recommendation and the status of the insurance approval.
Treatment
The members of your treatment team will be dependent on the level of care you are being treated at within Walden. At the inpatient and residential levels of care, the primary treatment team will include a psychiatrist, doctor/nurse practitioner, nurses, a therapist, a dietitian and mental health counselors. At the partial hospitalization level of care, the primary treatment team includes a therapist, a dietitian, a nurse practitioner and mental health counselors. At the intensive outpatient level of care, the primary treatment team includes a therapist and mental health counselors.
Discharge Planning
From the moment you begin your treatment journey at Walden, you will be assigned a therapist who will communicate with your outside providers before, during and at discharge.
Helpful Resources
If you are entering Walden’s inpatient or residential eating disorder programs, we encourage you to visit the What to Bring/What Not to Bring page for guidance.
Regardless of level of care, you may still have questions regarding the admissions, treatment or discharge process. We put together a Frequently Asked Questions page and hope it will alleviate any concerns you have. If you still have questions after looking over the FAQs, please feel free to contact our admissions department at 888-305-2997.