Labyrinth Psychiatry Group and TMS Center · Cranford, NJ
Psychiatrists That Take Aetna in Cranford, NJ
Aetna is one of six insurance plans Labyrinth Psychiatry Group lists. Five clinicians evaluate and manage medication here: two psychiatrists and three psychiatric nurse practitioners. Send a request or call 908-336-1187, and the office checks your Aetna plan before the first visit.
Labyrinth Psychiatry Group · Published · Review of the insurance information by Dr. Salvatore G. Savatta pending
The short answer
Aetna is on the list. Your exact plan decides the rest.
The directory pages Google shows for “psychiatrists that take Aetna” near Cranford list providers in New York, Connecticut and other states. They do not say which Aetna plans count. This page answers that for one practice: Labyrinth Psychiatry Group in Cranford, Union County.
The practice lists six plans: Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Medicare, TRICARE and UnitedHealthcare / Oxford. That list is not a guarantee of coverage. The office confirms your plan and your share of the cost before care begins.
Which Aetna plan do you have?
Three kinds of Aetna card, three different answers.
| Your Aetna plan | At Labyrinth | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Aetna through an employer or bought yourself (HMO, Open Access, Open Choice PPO) | Aetna is on the practice’s list of plans. Call or send a request, and the office checks your plan before the first visit. | Your plan type decides referral rules (below). |
| Aetna Medicare Advantage (Aetna Medicare HMO or PPO) | Medicare is on the practice’s list. Medicare Advantage plans have their own networks, so ask the office about your Aetna Medicare plan. | Our Medicare page explains Advantage networks. |
| Aetna Better Health of New Jersey (NJ FamilyCare / Medicaid) | Not on the practice’s list. The practice does not list NJ FamilyCare or Medicaid. | Call the plan’s member line for in-network psychiatrists. |
Plan types from Aetna’s plan definitions and Aetna Better Health of New Jersey, read October 27, 2026. With Medicare? See seeing a psychiatrist with Medicare.
The Medicaid mix-up
Aetna Better Health is a different plan.
Aetna Better Health of New Jersey is an NJ FamilyCare health plan. NJ FamilyCare is New Jersey’s Medicaid program. The plan serves members in all 21 counties (Aetna Better Health of New Jersey).
It is not on Labyrinth’s list, and the practice does not list NJ FamilyCare. If your card says “Aetna Better Health,” call the member services number on it. Ask for psychiatrists in its network near Cranford.
Care at Labyrinth with Aetna
What you can start with, service by service.
| Service | With Aetna | More |
|---|---|---|
| Psychiatric evaluation | The first step for every new adult patient. Send a request or call; staff call back to arrange a time. | What an evaluation includes |
| Medication management | Ongoing visits with a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner after the evaluation. | Medication management |
| TMS therapy | Aetna reviews each TMS course against its written policy before it starts (next section). | TMS at Labyrinth |
| SPRAVATO (esketamine) | Aetna (commercial) is on the SPRAVATO plan list the practice confirmed on October 1, 2026. Office staff handle the approval. | SPRAVATO at Labyrinth |
| Telehealth | Offered for medication management and for psychiatric evaluation for TMS and esketamine. Ask whether your Aetna plan covers the visit by video. | Telehealth |
| Psychotherapy | Not taking new patients at this time, according to the psychotherapy page. | Psychotherapy |
Read from the practice’s own pages on October 27, 2026. Adult care only. The office confirms what your plan covers when it calls you back.
TMS with Aetna
What Aetna’s TMS policy asks for.
Aetna publishes the rules it uses to approve TMS for depression. For adults, its policy looks for all of these:
- A psychiatrist confirms severe major depression without psychosis, measured on a standard rating scale such as the BDI, HAM-D or MADRS.
- In the current episode, two antidepressants from two different classes did not work well enough, each taken for at least 8 weeks.
- An add-on (augmentation) medicine was also tried with an antidepressant for at least 8 weeks.
- The device is FDA-cleared, and a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner orders and oversees the course.
- A course covers up to 30 sessions (5 days a week for 6 weeks) plus 6 tapering sessions; more is reviewed case by case.
From Aetna Clinical Policy Bulletin 0469, read October 27, 2026. This is Aetna’s policy, not a promise of approval. Your plan’s terms can differ. More in Is TMS covered by health insurance?
SPRAVATO with Aetna
Aetna approves SPRAVATO first. The office does the paperwork.
Aetna (commercial) is on the SPRAVATO plan list the practice confirmed on October 1, 2026. Office staff handle the approval, called prior authorization. It usually takes 1 to 4 weeks from the first call to the first treatment, depending on the insurer.
Aetna’s SPRAVATO policy for commercial plans sets these conditions:
- Aetna requires precertification for SPRAVATO in applicable plan designs.
- A psychiatrist prescribes it, or another prescriber does so in consultation with one.
- The member is 18 or older, with severe major depression confirmed on a standard rating scale.
- For treatment-resistant depression: two antidepressants from two classes, each for at least 8 weeks, plus augmentation or evidence-based psychotherapy.
- Each dose is taken under direct supervision, with at least 2 hours of monitoring afterward.
From Aetna Clinical Policy Bulletin 0950, read October 27, 2026. A preauthorization is a plan’s decision that care is medically necessary; it is not a promise to pay (Healthcare.gov). Treatment hours and steps are on the SPRAVATO page.
Referrals
Do you need a referral? Check the plan name.
- Aetna HMO: Aetna says you choose a primary care doctor, and referrals are required (Aetna HMO plans).
- Aetna Open Access: you can go straight to network specialists without a referral (Aetna plan definitions).
- Aetna Open Choice PPO: no referrals and no primary care doctor needed (Aetna plan definitions).
- Aetna Health Network Only: referrals are encouraged, not required (Aetna HMO plans).
Labyrinth’s request form does not ask for a referral. If your plan needs one, get it before the first visit.
Why a phone call beats a directory
Listings often say yes when the answer is no.
Psychiatrists take insurance less often than other doctors. In a national study, 55.3% of office-based psychiatrists accepted private insurance in 2009 to 2010, against 88.7% of other physicians. In the Northeast, the rate was 48.5% (Bishop et al., JAMA Psychiatry 2014).
Plan directories can also be wrong. In 2023, Senate Finance Committee staff called 120 listed mental health providers in Medicare Advantage directories. They booked a visit only 18% of the time. More than 80% were unreachable, not taking new patients or not in network (Senate Finance Committee).
That study covered six states, not New Jersey, and Medicare Advantage only. The lesson holds: ask the practice itself. Five questions settle most of it:
- Is the practice in network for my exact Aetna plan, and with which clinician?
- Do I need a referral from my primary care doctor first?
- What is my specialist copay, and how much of my deductible is left?
- Does my plan cover a psychiatry visit by telehealth?
- If TMS or SPRAVATO comes up, who sends the approval request?
What the law says
Mental health benefits must match medical benefits.
The federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act protects mental health benefits in certain types of health plans. It requires copays and deductibles for mental health care to be similar to those for medical care. Visit limits and prior authorization rules must be comparable too (U.S. Department of Labor).
Aetna’s own mental health pages list a clinical psychiatrist among the providers members can see. They describe the psychiatrist as the one who manages medication (Aetna ongoing care). What you pay still depends on your plan. Our guide to what a psychiatrist costs in New Jersey explains each part of the bill.
From Aetna card to first visit
Five steps to start care with Aetna.
- 01
Look at your Aetna card
Note the plan name and the member services number. The plan name tells you if it is an HMO, Open Access, PPO or Medicare plan.
- 02
Send a request or call
The request form asks only for contact details and the broad reason for your visit. Or call 908-336-1187. A request does not book an appointment.
- 03
The office checks your plan
Staff call you back by your chosen method. Ask them to confirm your Aetna plan, your expected cost and the first opening.
- 04
Psychiatric evaluation
The clinician reviews your symptoms, history, past treatment, safety and goals. A first visit does not commit you to any treatment.
- 05
Approvals if needed
If TMS or SPRAVATO fits, Aetna may need to approve it first. For SPRAVATO, the office staff handle the approval, usually 1 to 4 weeks from first call to first treatment.
Keep health details out of the online request; the office asks what it needs when it calls. What to expect from an evaluation
Bring to the first visit
What helps the office and Aetna.
- Your Aetna ID card, front and back
- A list of every medicine you take now and the ones you tried before
- How long you took each one, at what dose, and why it stopped
- Your primary care doctor’s name, and a referral if your plan needs one
- Your goals for treatment
Who you would see
Two psychiatrists and three nurse practitioners.
The care team page lists two psychiatrists (MD) and three psychiatric nurse practitioners who evaluate and manage medication. Which of them takes your Aetna plan, and who has an opening, is not published. Ask when the office calls.
Telehealth
Offered for medication management and psychiatric evaluation for TMS and esketamine. TMS and SPRAVATO themselves happen in the office. Telehealth at Labyrinth
Choosing a 2027 plan?
Get Covered New Jersey holds Open Enrollment from November 1 to January 31 (Get Covered NJ). Check that the practice is in a plan’s network before you pick it.
New patients
Psychiatric evaluation is open to new adult patients. Starting as a new patient
Insurance
Aetna is one of six plans the practice lists.
Participation, benefits and approval rules can change. The office confirms the details for your plan before care begins. More on insurance and access.
Listed insurance plans
Plans the practice lists.
- Aetna
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Cigna
- Medicare
- TRICARE
- UnitedHealthcare / Oxford
This list is not a guarantee of coverage. If your plan is not listed, call to ask.
Related
Before your first visit.
Read what the evaluation covers, what it may cost, and how TMS and SPRAVATO work.
Common questions
What Aetna members ask first.
Does Labyrinth Psychiatry Group take Aetna?
Aetna is one of six plans the practice lists, and Aetna (commercial) is on the plan list the practice confirmed for SPRAVATO. The list is not a guarantee of coverage. Call 908-336-1187 or send a request, and the office checks your exact Aetna plan before the first visit.
Does Aetna cover seeing a psychiatrist?
Aetna’s own mental health pages list psychiatrists among the providers members can see for ongoing care. Your plan decides the network, copay and any referral. Federal parity law also requires most plans to keep copays and deductibles for mental health care similar to those for medical care.
Does Aetna insurance cover behavioral health?
Aetna’s mental health pages describe outpatient treatment and the providers members can see, including psychiatrists. Under the federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, most plans cannot charge higher copays for mental health providers than for medical visits, and prior authorization rules must be comparable. Check your own benefits with Aetna member services.
Does Labyrinth accept Aetna Better Health of New Jersey?
Aetna Better Health of New Jersey is an NJ FamilyCare (Medicaid) plan. It is not on the practice’s list, and the practice does not list NJ FamilyCare. Call the plan’s member services line to find an in-network psychiatrist.
I have an Aetna Medicare Advantage plan. Can I go to Labyrinth?
Medicare is on the practice’s list, but Medicare Advantage plans have their own networks. Ask the office about your Aetna Medicare plan before you book. Our Medicare page explains Original Medicare and Advantage plans.
Do I need a referral to see a psychiatrist with Aetna?
It depends on your plan. Aetna says its HMO plans require choosing a primary care doctor and getting referrals. Open Access plans and the Open Choice PPO let you see network specialists without a referral. The practice’s request form does not ask for a referral.
Does Aetna cover TMS therapy?
Aetna’s TMS policy covers TMS for severe major depression when its criteria are met. For adults, that includes two antidepressants from different classes and an add-on medicine, each tried for at least 8 weeks. A course covers up to 30 sessions plus 6 tapering sessions.
Does Aetna cover SPRAVATO?
Aetna (commercial) is on the SPRAVATO plan list the practice confirmed on October 1, 2026. Aetna requires precertification first. The office staff handle that approval, which usually takes 1 to 4 weeks from first call to first treatment, depending on the insurer.
How much does it cost to see a psychiatrist with Aetna?
It depends on your plan’s copay, deductible and coinsurance. The office and Aetna member services can tell you your share before the first visit. Our guide to what a psychiatrist costs in New Jersey explains each part of the bill.
How many psychiatrists accept insurance?
Fewer than other doctors. A national study in JAMA Psychiatry found 55.3% of office-based psychiatrists accepted private insurance in 2009 to 2010, against 88.7% of other physicians. In the Northeast the rate was 48.5%.
What happens when you meet with a psychiatrist?
At Labyrinth, the clinician reviews your symptoms, history, earlier treatment, safety, health and goals. Together you agree on a plan, which may include medication, TMS, SPRAVATO or further assessment. A first visit does not commit you to any treatment.
Can I see a therapist at Labyrinth with Aetna?
Not as a new patient right now. The practice’s psychotherapy page says it is not accepting new patients for psychotherapy at this time. Psychiatric evaluation and medication management are open to new adult patients.