What an adult ADHD evaluation costs in New Jersey

Most people looking for a price find one number on a directory or clinic website and assume it reflects the market in New Jersey. It does not. As of October 2026 no published survey reports what psychiatrists, primary care clinicians or psychologists in New Jersey charge for an adult ADHD evaluation. What does exist is a short list of public benchmarks, a New Jersey law that tells you what an out-of-network clinician must disclose before you book, and the NJ FamilyCare route for people who qualify. This page sets those out and labels each figure for what it is.

Nothing here describes Dr. Shershow's fees. The office can tell you the current fees and how insurance works with the practice, and the fees and insurance page is the place to start.

What you are actually paying for

"ADHD evaluation" covers three different services, and they are billed in different ways.

• A psychiatric diagnostic evaluation. A psychiatrist or another prescribing clinician takes a full history, reviews symptoms across your life, looks for other explanations and gives a diagnosis and treatment plan. It is billed as a medical visit, often under CPT code 90792 or a new-patient office visit code.
• A primary care visit. Some primary care clinicians evaluate adult ADHD themselves, billed as an ordinary office visit.
• Psychological or neuropsychological testing. A licensed psychologist gives and scores a battery of tests and writes a report. It is billed by the hour or half hour under separate testing codes, so the total depends on how many hours the battery takes.

The difference between the first and third options is explained in ADHD testing or a psychiatric evaluation in New Jersey.

Public benchmarks, and what each one measures

Medicare divides New Jersey into two payment areas. The Northern New Jersey locality covers Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties. The rest of the state is a second locality. The figures below are 2026 Medicare allowed amounts calculated from the CMS fee schedule files released in August 2026.

Read the table with care. Medicare amounts are what a federal program recognizes for a service. They are useful as a public yardstick when you compare quotes or ask an insurer what it allows, but they are not what a private clinician charges. One university training clinic publishes its prices: the Rutgers Office of Disability Services lists ADHD evaluations at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) for Rutgers students at $450 for a cognitive and psychoeducational evaluation and $150 for a neuropsychological evaluation for ADHD, or $0 with the Rutgers student health plan. Those are student prices, not what the public pays.

What New Jersey law says about out-of-network bills

New Jersey's Out-of-network Consumer Protection, Transparency, Cost Containment and Accountability Act (P.L.2018, c.32) gives you two useful rights before an elective visit.

First, under N.J.S.A. 26:2SS-5, a health care professional must disclose, in writing or on a website, the health plans they participate in. If they do not participate in your plan's network, they must, in terms you can understand:

1. tell you before scheduling a non-emergency procedure that they are out of network and that the amount or estimated amount they will bill is available on request;
2. when you ask, give you in writing the amount or estimated amount and the CPT codes for the service;
3. tell you that you may owe more than your usual copayment, deductible or coinsurance, including costs above what your plan allows; and
4. advise you to contact your insurer about those costs.

Second, under N.J.S.A. 26:2SS-6, your insurer must explain how it sets the allowed amount for out-of-network care, tell you on request what it will pay for a specific CPT code and what you will owe, and run a telephone hotline open at least 16 hours a day for questions about network status and out-of-pocket costs.

What the act does not do matters just as much. Its billing protections cover inadvertent out-of-network care (for example, an out-of-network clinician at a facility in your plan's network when no network clinician was available) and emergency or urgent care. The statute separately describes a patient who knowingly, voluntarily and specifically selects an out-of-network provider, and a planned ADHD evaluation with a clinician you chose usually falls in that category. For self-funded employer plans, the inadvertent and emergency protections apply only if the plan elects to be covered. How claims and reimbursement work after the visit is covered in out-of-network reimbursement in New Jersey.

Video visits and your share of the cost

New Jersey's telehealth law, as enacted in 2017, says an insurer offering a health benefits plan in the state may not charge a deductible, copayment or coinsurance for a covered service delivered by telehealth that is higher than the amount for an in-person visit. The insurer may still limit coverage to clinicians in its network. Ask your plan how it handles video psychiatric visits before you assume the cost will match.

The NJ FamilyCare route

NJ FamilyCare, the state's Medicaid program, covers adults 19 to 64 whose family income is at or below 138% of the federal poverty level. In 2026 that is about $1,836 a month for one person. The program's website says eligibility rules will change starting in fall 2026, so check the current rules when you apply. You can apply online or by calling 1-800-701-0710.

Since January 1, 2025, the managed care plans that serve most members cover outpatient mental health services, according to the state's behavioral health integration FAQ. The practical step is to call your plan's member services and ask for psychiatric prescribers who take your plan and see adults for ADHD. The details, including the 2027 work requirement changes, are in NJ FamilyCare coverage for adult ADHD.

Questions to ask before you book

1. Which service is this? A diagnostic interview, a testing battery, or both. Ask how many visits the evaluation usually takes and whether each is billed separately.
2. Which CPT codes will you bill? With the codes, your insurer can tell you its allowed amount and your share.
3. Are you in my plan's network? New Jersey law requires clinicians to disclose the plans they participate in. Confirm with the insurer too.
4. Can I have a written estimate? If you are uninsured or not using insurance, federal rules entitle you to a Good Faith Estimate. If you schedule 3 to 9 business days ahead, it is due within 1 business day. If you schedule 10 or more business days ahead, or ask before scheduling, it is due within 3 business days.
5. What is not included? Rating scales, records review, letters, forms and lab work may be charged separately.
6. What will the first year cost? If treatment starts, follow-up visits come next. New Jersey also requires in-person visits for adults started on a Schedule II stimulant by telehealth, which can affect scheduling and cost. See telehealth ADHD prescriptions in New Jersey.

If the price is the obstacle

University training clinics, federally qualified health centers and county-supported programs can lower the cost, each with limits on who they serve and what they offer. They are listed in lower-cost adult ADHD care in New Jersey. If you have a health savings or flexible spending account, the rules in HSA, FSA and taxes for ADHD costs apply in New Jersey as well, since they are federal.

A low price for a very short evaluation is not a saving if the result does not hold up with your next prescriber, school or testing agency. Compare what each evaluation includes, not only the fee. The adult ADHD evaluation page describes what Dr. Shershow's evaluation covers.