Questions to Ask an ADHD Psychiatrist in New Jersey

Written by the practice's editorial team. Published October 19, 2026; updated October 19, 2026. Part of the New Jersey Adult ADHD Guide, get care section. Medically reviewed by John C. Shershow, M.D. on October 19, 2026. Editorial policy

Key points

New Jersey's telehealth statute requires the clinician's identity, credentials and contact information to be made available, and lets you ask for a physician.
Clinicians treating someone located in New Jersey by telehealth must hold a New Jersey license.
Since July 8, 2026, adults started on a Schedule II stimulant by telehealth need an in-person visit within 30 days, a contact every three months and an in-person visit yearly.
P.L.2018, c.32 requires health care professionals to disclose the plans they participate in, and out-of-network professionals to give a written estimate with CPT codes on request.
CHADD describes a full adult evaluation as an interview covering childhood to the present, outside input, rating scales, screening for other conditions and a medical review.

A ten-minute call before you book can save you a wasted evaluation. New Jersey adds a few questions to the usual list, because its telehealth law sets in-person visit rules for stimulant patients, gives you specific rights to know who your clinician is, and requires out-of-network clinicians to tell you so up front. Each question below comes with the reason it matters under New Jersey rules as of October 2026. Keep this page open while you make the call, and write the answers down with the date and the name of the person you spoke to.

Who will see you

Ask	Why it matters in New Jersey
What is the full name and profession of the clinician who will evaluate me?	For telehealth, New Jersey's statute (N.J.S.A. 45:1-62) says the clinician's identity, credentials and contact information must be made available when you schedule (if available) or when the visit is confirmed. You need a name to check a license.
Is that clinician licensed in New Jersey?	A clinician providing telehealth to someone in New Jersey must hold a valid New Jersey license. A license in another state does not cover a visit you take from home in New Jersey.
Will I see a physician?	The statute says you must be told a telehealth visit may be with a clinician who is not a physician, and that you may ask for a physician. If you ask, the visit must be scheduled with one.
Will the same clinician handle my follow-up visits?	Continuity matters while medication is adjusted, and the prescriber is responsible for the treatment plan New Jersey's controlled-substance rule requires.
How do I reach the clinician between visits?	For telehealth, contact information must let you reach the clinician, or a substitute, for at least 72 hours after a visit. Ask what happens after that.

Once you have a name, check it. The steps are in how to verify a doctor's license in New Jersey. Which professions can diagnose and prescribe is covered in who can diagnose ADHD in New Jersey.

What the evaluation includes

CDC states that there is no single test to diagnose ADHD. CHADD describes a full adult evaluation as a structured or semi-structured interview about symptoms now and since childhood, input from someone who knows you well, symptom checklists and rating scales, screening for conditions such as depression, anxiety and substance use, and a medical examination if you have not had one recently. Use that as the yardstick.

How long is the evaluation, and is it one visit or more?
Will you ask about my childhood, and can a partner or parent give input?
Do you screen for anxiety, depression, sleep problems and substance use? These can look like ADHD or occur alongside it.
Is separate testing required, and what does it cost? CHADD describes psychological or neuropsychological testing as something used when the clinician considers it necessary. If a service makes it mandatory for everyone, ask why. The difference is explained in ADHD testing vs a psychiatric evaluation in New Jersey.
Is it possible I will not be diagnosed with ADHD? The honest answer is yes.
Will I get a written summary I can use for work, school or exam accommodations? Agencies and schools set their own documentation standards, so say early if you may need paperwork.

If medication is recommended

New Jersey's Board of Medical Examiners rule (N.J.A.C. 13:35-7.6) requires a practitioner starting a controlled substance to take a history, examine you, make a reasonable effort to obtain your records, check the state Prescription Monitoring Program and write a treatment plan. It limits each Schedule II prescription to a 30-day supply and lets a physician issue several dated prescriptions covering up to 90 days.

If I am diagnosed, do you prescribe and follow me yourselves? Some services only diagnose.
Do you prescribe at the first visit, or after records arrive? The rule requires a reasonable effort to get records, so bring or request them early.
How do I request the next prescription, and how far ahead? Schedule II prescriptions cannot be refilled under federal regulation, so each fill needs a new prescription.
Once I am stable, do you write dated prescriptions covering more than 30 days? It is permitted, not guaranteed.
Do you discuss non-stimulant and non-medication options too?

The New Jersey in-person questions

Since July 8, 2026, P.L.2026, c.40 has required adults prescribed a Schedule II stimulant through telehealth to have an in-person visit within 30 days of a telehealth first examination, a contact every three months (in person or by live video) and an in-person visit at least once a year. Telehealth prescribing of Schedule II medicine must use real-time audio and video.

Is the first visit in person or by video? Practices set their own policy within the law.
If I start by video, where and when would my in-person visit within 30 days take place?
Where would my yearly in-person visit happen?
Which state must I be in during video visits? Licensure follows where you are physically located. If you split time between New Jersey and New York, see living in New Jersey, getting ADHD care in New York.
What is your plan if federal rules change in 2027? Federal telemedicine flexibilities for controlled substances run through December 31, 2026, and no final rule for 2027 had been published as of October 19, 2026.

Follow-up rules are explained in ADHD medication follow-up visits in New Jersey.

Cost and insurance

Which health plans do you participate in? New Jersey's Out-of-network Consumer Protection, Transparency, Cost Containment and Accountability Act (P.L.2018, c.32) requires health care professionals to disclose the plans they participate in before non-emergency services. Ask about your exact plan, not just the insurer's name.
If you are out of network, what will you bill, and under which CPT codes? An out-of-network professional must tell you before scheduling that the amount or estimated amount is available on request, and must give it to you in writing with the CPT codes when you ask. Take the codes to your insurer to ask what it allows. See out-of-network reimbursement in New Jersey.
If I pay without insurance, can I have a Good Faith Estimate? Under federal rules, people not using insurance are usually entitled to one when they schedule at least 3 business days ahead or ask for one.
Are telehealth visits covered the same as in-person visits? P.L.2026, c.29 extended New Jersey's telehealth payment parity for state-regulated plans through December 31, 2027. Confirm with your plan.
Are there fees for missed visits, forms or letters?

For this practice, call the office to ask about current fees and how insurance works with the practice. The fees and insurance page has general information.

Records and leaving later

Can my past records be sent to you before the first visit?
If I leave, how do I get my records? New Jersey physicians must provide copies within 30 days of a request, for no more than $1 per page or $100 in total. See switching ADHD psychiatrists in New Jersey.

A short script

"I'm an adult looking for an ADHD evaluation. I'll be in New Jersey during visits. Who would see me, and are they licensed in New Jersey? How many visits does the evaluation take, and what does each cost? If medication is appropriate, do you prescribe and follow patients yourselves? If I start by video, how do you handle the in-person visit within 30 days and the yearly in-person visit? Are you in network with [exact plan]? What do you need from me before the first appointment?"

If a front desk cannot answer the licensing, prescribing or in-person questions, ask for the answers in writing before you pay a deposit. Warning signs to watch for are in red flags in online ADHD clinics.

Asking these questions of this practice

Dr. John C. Shershow is a psychiatrist (a physician) who focuses on adult ADHD and is licensed in New York and New Jersey. He sees adults 18 and older for evaluation, treatment planning, medication management when appropriate and ongoing follow-up, with follow-up visits held by secure video. For a video visit you must be physically in New York or New Jersey. The office can answer the rest, including how visits are arranged for patients located in New Jersey. Start on the new patients page.

Questions

What is the most important question to ask an ADHD psychiatrist in New Jersey?

Whether the clinician is licensed in New Jersey, if you will be in New Jersey during visits. A license in another state does not cover telehealth to someone located in New Jersey. Check the answer with the state license look-up.

Do I have the right to see a physician instead of a nurse practitioner?

For telehealth, yes. New Jersey's statute says you must be told the visit may be with a non-physician and that you may ask for a physician, and the visit must then be scheduled with one.

What should I ask about New Jersey's in-person rule?

Ask whether the first visit is in person or by video, and if it is by video, where and when the in-person visit within 30 days and the yearly in-person visit would happen. The rule applies to adults prescribed a Schedule II stimulant through telehealth.

What cost questions should I ask?

Ask which plans the clinician participates in, the fee for the evaluation and follow-ups, and the CPT codes if they are out of network. New Jersey requires out-of-network professionals to give you the billed amount or estimate in writing on request.

Should I ask about getting my records later?

It is worth knowing. New Jersey physicians must provide copies within 30 days of a request, for no more than $1 per page or $100 in total, which matters if you ever switch prescribers.

Sources

This article is general information, not medical or legal advice. Rules and coverage change; check the linked sources for the current position, and speak with a clinician or attorney about your own situation.

Questions to ask an ADHD psychiatrist in New Jersey