The Greenbrook TMS Difference

Greenbrook TMS was established in 2011 and quickly grew to become a leading provider of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy in the United States. Our patient-focused customer service model makes TMS easily accessible to patients and allows us to provide the best possible care.

Today, Greenbrook provides TMS therapy for depression at 125 centers spread across 13 states. We have provided more than 500,000 TMS treatments to more than 14,000 patients struggling with depression, and we remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a recent interview, our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Geoffrey Grammer, discussed the unique experience that Greenbrook TMS offers patients with treatment-resistant depression.

What makes Greenbrook TMS patient-centered?

Greenbrook was designed and created by people who build health care companies for a living, with the goal of improving the patient experience. That positive patient experience starts with the first phone call, extends into handling all aspects of approval and billing of your insurance company, and results in a best-in-class treatment delivery.

We've worked to train our staff and design our waiting rooms, facilities, and website to be patient-centered. While receiving TMS therapy for depression, you're surrounded by friendly, helpful staff and aesthetically pleasing environments, all geared toward assisting you in your recovery.

Greenbrook is a leading TMS therapy provider. What does that mean for patients?

We have some of the best psychiatrists in the field that advise the company on appropriate standards of care. That ensures that whether you get treated in Washington, D.C., or Charlotte, North Carolina, you're going to get the same excellent care.

The sheer amount of resources is a huge benefit in helping to advise care delivery. We have a relationship with the academic community, the vendors of the devices, insurance companies, and psychiatrists , which means we get to incorporate the latest and greatest technologies and techniques for our patients.

Psychiatrists who are more isolated can't read every study out there or dive into every research initiative. But at Greenbrook, we have our finger on that pulse very strongly. Because of our size, entities are interested in keeping us informed, which ultimately benefits our patients, who get the best and latest evidence-based care in their therapy.

How long will a prospective patient have to wait to get in for treatment?

We recognize that when people need help, they don't need help six months from now; they need help today. Unlike some other psychiatric practices, we have stringent standards to get you on the road to recovery as quickly as possible. We aim to see you for your first appointment within a week or two with insurance approval and treatment initiation following shortly after.

How are you able to get new patients in for treatment in a week? What if you're booked up?

If there is a space or device availability issue, we acquire more space or purchase more devices. If there is a physician availability bottleneck, we partner with more doctors and we leverage staff to help with the patient experience. That frees up our affiliated physicians to do the medical decision-making and not get bogged down in paperwork or insurance claims and appeals — meaning the physicians can focus on what they're trained for, which is deciding on the best treatment option for you and handling the device settings.

Will patients have to travel far to be treated?

We recognize that for people to get TMS therapy, it needs to be convenient, so we build centers near where it's easy for people to visit. We don't want someone driving hours to get TMS therapy for depression.

When we grow into a new area, we look at where people live and work and open centers in convenient locations that are safe, close to major roads and have easy parking to make those centers as convenient as possible for patients. We are constantly expanding to bring this therapy to people who need it. Patients can go to our website, which has a location finder , so you can find the center nearest to your home.

What does Greenbrook TMS do to ease the burden of dealing with insurance companies?

We work with nearly every insurance provider, so you don't have to do much more than give us your insurance card to get coverage. Throughout the entire process, you will work with a Patient Consultant to find the status of your insurance requests. We have a well-trained team that files and processes claims, and we have a team that helps with appeals when needed.

How expensive is TMS therapy at Greenbrook TMS?

A lot of other providers will tack on miscellaneous fees, like a physician oversight fee, but we don't want any surprise billing out of Greenbrook.

We take most insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid at various center locations. We tell you the results of a benefits inquiry, so when you start, you know what it should cost. This allows you to make an informed choice if TMS therapy is right for you including consideration of the logistical and financial requirements.

What would you say to a patient considering TMS?

Of all the things I've done in medicine, the thing that has been most transformative has been TMS. It was clear very early on that TMS was a paradigm changer in the field of psychiatry. When people respond to TMS, they respond in ways that are far more dramatic than I've seen with other modalities. TMS is a safe, very well-tolerated treatment that works for the majority of patients who try it. Not treating depression is not only painful, but it can lead to actual medical damage, so the biggest risk in trying TMS often lies in not trying it at all.