Waisman Center TIES Clinic

TIES Clinic exists to provide psychiatric care and consultation to individuals with developmental disabilities who are unable to obtain psychiatric care from other providers due to financial situation, behavioral issues, or medical complexity. The TIES clinic is scheduled once every other week on Thursday and once per month on Wednesday afternoon. The TIES clinic staff consists of a child psychiatrist with extensive experience treating persons with developmental disabilities and an Advanced Practice Nurse Prescriber who is a board certified Clinical Nurse Specialist in adult and child-adolescent psychiatric and mental health nursing. The TIES Clinic is associated with the Community TIES Behavioral Support Program and the Crisis Response Program.

TIES Clinic, TIES Behavioral Support, and Crisis Response personnel all work together to optimize necessary support for individuals. TIES Clinic provides both consultation appointments and ongoing psychiatric care.  At the current time, TIES Clinic does not offer psychotherapy on a regular basis. When possible, stable patients are referred back to their primary physician or a community psychiatrist for continuing care. Funding to support the clinic is obtained from Dane County Human Services (ACS), Medical Assistance, Medicare, and private insurance and HMOs (when available).

For most patients of TIES Clinic, psychiatric assessment and treatment depend upon the active involvement and participation of other members of the support team. With the consumer’s (and/or the guardian’s) permission, family members, case managers/support brokers, residential and vocational support staff, teachers, AFH providers, and guardians are welcomed and encouraged to attend appointments and to share information about their observation of symptoms and their evaluation of the progress of treatment with the patient and the TIES Clinic staff.

Eligibility Requirements

For those living in Dane County, WI

1. The person must be a consumer with a developmental disability living in Dane County.
2. Adults must be eligible for receiving services (funding) from Dane County Department of Human Services, Adult Community Services. Children must have gone through an eligibility determination and be accepted for services in the developmental disability system. The intake access point may be United Cerebral Palsy (UCP),  Family Support and Resource Center, or the TIES program.

For those living outside of Dane County, WI

1. The person must be a consumer with a developmental disability.
2. The person must have either:
   • health insurance adequate to cover the cost of clinical services (and approval by the insurance company to pay directly to Waisman Center TIES Clinic),
   • or Medical Assistance PLUS a subsidy by another government entity (like another county) to cover clinic fees,
   • or have no MA coverage and be willing and able to pay full clinical charges out-of-pocket.

For all applicants

1. The consumer must have behavior(s), symptoms, or medical history that indicates a probable psychiatric condition amenable to treatment.
2. Preference is given to individuals who do not have a current psychiatrist (can’t obtain psychiatric care). If the consumer does have a psychiatrist providing service, that psychiatrist must be notified that TIES Clinic is being consulted, and his/her records obtained for review at or before the first appointment.
3. Priority in timing of admission to the clinic is given to individuals who are having difficulties which threaten their health, safety, safety of others, or their ability to live in the community. Priority is by need first, then order of application.

Note: There is no connection/relationship between the psychiatrist's private psychiatric clinic and TIES Clinic. Also, TIES Clinic is not associated with any HMO.