For Patients
Many of the individuals who contact CCNS, do so because they or a loved one suffer from a major brain illness such as depression. Not uncommonly, patients come to us after numerous medication trials have offered little symptom relief at the price of intolerable side effects. These individuals are finding a renewed hope for recovery with the emergence of minimally invasive neurostimulation treatments, which offer a significantly higher likelihood of benefit in this population without the side effect profile of many pharmacologic treatments.
CCNS closely collaborates with the University of North Carolina Department of Psychiatry to connect patients with expert clinicians who incorporate neurostimulation into their medical practice. Upon request by patient or by referring physician or caregiver, we provide a referral form, which will assist in scheduling your initial consultation with one of our collaborating physicians. Each CCNS physician is a UNC Psychiatry Faculty member who specializes in the treatment of medication-resistant disorders using neurostimulation technologies. These physicians serve as the primary providers within the UNC Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Clinic and the UNC Electroconvulsive Therapy inpatient and ambulatory services. An important part of the initial neurostimulation consultation will be to provide education about the types of treatments available for medication resistant brain illness. These physicians will talk with you about your medical and psychiatric history, and will work with you to determine which treatment option is most in-line with your medical history, current symptoms, and treatment goals.
To learn more, please visit the UNC Department of Psychiatry websites:
UNC Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) Services
UNC Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Clinic
Clinical Setting
It is natural to feel excited, as well as anxious, about a decision to undergo cutting-edge neurostimulation treatment for the first time. Many of our patients appreciate the extra layer of reassurance afforded by the location of CCNS--right at the heart of a major academic medical center. Located next to the Neurosciences hospital on the main medical campus of UNC Chapel Hill, our clinical brain stimulation service is armed with the highest level of safety, resources, and opportunity for intra- and inter-departmental collaboration, all with the goal of optimizing our patient outcomes. For ease of access, clinical services for neurostimulation are additionally available at the off-site UNC Psychiatry clinic, also located in Chapel Hill.
Finances
In the current healthcare climate, we all share in the concern about the affordability of our medical treatments. Cost can often limit our ability to benefit from innovative or cutting-edge treatment options. At CCNS, we are committed to making neurostimulation an affordable treatment option for everyone who needs it. For individuals with insurance, we partner with UNC to work directly with your insurance carrier to obtain pre-authorization for payments of individual TMS treatments in advance. Currently, TMS is covered by most medical insurance providers for the indication of Major Depressive Disorder. For individuals without insurance: our collaborative physicians will work with you to determine other treatment options, which may include participation in one of our clinical trials or treatment with theta burst stimulation (TBS), an FDA-cleared alternative to conventional rTMS treatment for depression. TBS is not currently covered by insurance, but since it is such an efficient form of TMS, (though equally effective, according to several large clinical trials) UNC is able to offer TBS at a fraction of the cost of conventional treatment.
Ready to take the next step?
For patients interested in receiving clinical neurostimulation, please have your medical healthcare provider to submit the linked referral form to:
Carolina Center for Neurostimulation
Dr. Rachel Force
334 Emergency Room Dr.
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-5035
Phone: (919)-966-9929
Neurostimulation Research
We are in the process of developing new clinical neurostimulation programs within the UNC Department of Psychiatry. We kindly encourage you to consider participating in research studies to help advance the knowledge that will ultimately lead to the development of new treatments. Current studies are posted on the Open Studies (link) tab of this website. All our studies are approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of UNC. Participants are reimbursed for their time. Please sign up for our mailing list to receive updates directly in your inbox.
For patients interested in participating in neurostimulation research, please email us.
CCNS closely collaborates with the University of North Carolina Department of Psychiatry to connect patients with expert clinicians who incorporate neurostimulation into their medical practice. Upon request by patient or by referring physician or caregiver, we provide a referral form, which will assist in scheduling your initial consultation with one of our collaborating physicians. Each CCNS physician is a UNC Psychiatry Faculty member who specializes in the treatment of medication-resistant disorders using neurostimulation technologies. These physicians serve as the primary providers within the UNC Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Clinic and the UNC Electroconvulsive Therapy inpatient and ambulatory services. An important part of the initial neurostimulation consultation will be to provide education about the types of treatments available for medication resistant brain illness. These physicians will talk with you about your medical and psychiatric history, and will work with you to determine which treatment option is most in-line with your medical history, current symptoms, and treatment goals.
To learn more, please visit the UNC Department of Psychiatry websites:
UNC Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) Services
UNC Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Clinic
Clinical Setting
It is natural to feel excited, as well as anxious, about a decision to undergo cutting-edge neurostimulation treatment for the first time. Many of our patients appreciate the extra layer of reassurance afforded by the location of CCNS--right at the heart of a major academic medical center. Located next to the Neurosciences hospital on the main medical campus of UNC Chapel Hill, our clinical brain stimulation service is armed with the highest level of safety, resources, and opportunity for intra- and inter-departmental collaboration, all with the goal of optimizing our patient outcomes. For ease of access, clinical services for neurostimulation are additionally available at the off-site UNC Psychiatry clinic, also located in Chapel Hill.
Finances
In the current healthcare climate, we all share in the concern about the affordability of our medical treatments. Cost can often limit our ability to benefit from innovative or cutting-edge treatment options. At CCNS, we are committed to making neurostimulation an affordable treatment option for everyone who needs it. For individuals with insurance, we partner with UNC to work directly with your insurance carrier to obtain pre-authorization for payments of individual TMS treatments in advance. Currently, TMS is covered by most medical insurance providers for the indication of Major Depressive Disorder. For individuals without insurance: our collaborative physicians will work with you to determine other treatment options, which may include participation in one of our clinical trials or treatment with theta burst stimulation (TBS), an FDA-cleared alternative to conventional rTMS treatment for depression. TBS is not currently covered by insurance, but since it is such an efficient form of TMS, (though equally effective, according to several large clinical trials) UNC is able to offer TBS at a fraction of the cost of conventional treatment.
Ready to take the next step?
For patients interested in receiving clinical neurostimulation, please have your medical healthcare provider to submit the linked referral form to:
Carolina Center for Neurostimulation
Dr. Rachel Force
334 Emergency Room Dr.
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-5035
Phone: (919)-966-9929
Neurostimulation Research
We are in the process of developing new clinical neurostimulation programs within the UNC Department of Psychiatry. We kindly encourage you to consider participating in research studies to help advance the knowledge that will ultimately lead to the development of new treatments. Current studies are posted on the Open Studies (link) tab of this website. All our studies are approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of UNC. Participants are reimbursed for their time. Please sign up for our mailing list to receive updates directly in your inbox.
For patients interested in participating in neurostimulation research, please email us.