Psychiatric medication management for Pompano Beach — measurement-based, in-person.

RECO Integrated Psychiatry sits 18 miles and 28 minutes north of Pompano Beach on I-95 — close enough for regular follow-ups from Cresthaven, Lighthouse Point, or Hillsboro Shores, far enough for real clinical separation from the local scene. Every visit is anchored to PHQ-9, GAD-7, and diagnosis-appropriate scales rather than clinical impression alone. The psychiatrists move past the SSRI-plus-Wellbutrin ceiling most primary care stops at — augmentation with aripiprazole, lithium, or T3; MAOIs where indicated; escalation to rTMS or Spravato when the outpatient algorithm is exhausted.

From Pompano Beach, the drive to RECO Integrated Psychiatry’s Delray Beach office runs 18 miles north on I-95 — roughly 28 minutes outside rush and a straight shot along Federal Highway when the interstate backs up. For clients in Cresthaven, Lighthouse Point, Sea Ranch Lakes, and Hillsboro Shores, that short trip creates real clinical separation from the day-to-day scene while keeping care inside the same South Florida community and the same in-network insurance panels.

What a real psychiatric evaluation actually covers

The initial visit at RECO Integrated Psychiatry runs 60-90 minutes and produces a documented DSM-5-TR diagnostic formulation — not a symptom checklist. History includes prior medication trials with specific doses, durations, and reasons for discontinuation; family psychiatric history; a substance-use screen; trauma history where clinically relevant; and structured screening for bipolarity, ADHD, and OCD in every client presenting with “depression” or “anxiety.” Missed bipolar II and unrecognized adult ADHD are two of the most common reasons an antidepressant trial appears to fail.

Baseline labs are ordered where indicated: CBC, CMP, TSH, B12 and folate, vitamin D, and — when the pharmacologic picture is complex — pharmacogenomic testing through GeneSight or Genomind. A CIWA-Ar or COWS is completed when withdrawal risk is present. The result is a formulation that captures what is actually driving the presentation, which a 15-minute primary care visit is structurally unable to produce.

Getting the diagnosis right on visit one is what allows every downstream medication decision to work. It is the piece most rushed intake models skip.

Measurement-based care and why it changes outcomes

Every follow-up is anchored to validated instruments: PHQ-9 for depression, GAD-7 for anxiety, MDQ for bipolar screening, ASRS for adult ADHD, Y-BOCS for OCD, and PCL-5 where PTSD is on the differential. Scales are completed before the visit, scored inside the visit, and tracked longitudinally alongside the note.

The published evidence for measurement-based care is unambiguous — trials in JAMA Psychiatry and elsewhere show meaningfully higher response and remission rates when clinicians drive decisions from scale trajectories rather than clinical impression alone. When a PHQ-9 moves from 19 to 12 over six weeks, that is a partial response and a case for augmentation. When it moves from 19 to 17, that is treatment failure and a case for switching. Without the numbers, both look like “a little better.”

Clients see their own trend lines at every visit. That transparency reframes the encounter from “how are you feeling” to “here is where the treatment actually is.”

The pharmacologic toolkit beyond the first two SSRIs

First-line pharmacotherapy is well-established and RECO’s psychiatrists follow it: SSRIs and SNRIs — sertraline, escitalopram, duloxetine, venlafaxine — for major depression and generalized anxiety; stimulants and non-stimulants for ADHD; mood stabilizers and second-generation antipsychotics for bipolar disorder; SSRIs plus ERP referral for OCD. The value of specialty psychiatry is what happens after step one and step two.

Augmentation strategies include aripiprazole, brexpiprazole, lithium, and thyroid (T3) augmentation for depression; quetiapine or olanzapine adjuncts in bipolar depression; buspirone or hydroxyzine layered onto SSRIs in refractory anxiety. Switching decisions run across classes when within-class rotation has failed. MAOIs — phenelzine, tranylcypromine — remain on the menu for truly treatment-resistant depression when the prescriber actually knows how to use them. Pharmacogenomic data are used to inform, not dictate, medication choices.

When the outpatient algorithm is exhausted, escalation is on the table: rTMS at 3000 pulses per session at 120% of motor threshold across a standard 36-treatment protocol, or esketamine (Spravato) under REMS in the office. Our psychiatric medication management program is built so that no client is left indefinitely on a failing regimen because the next step wasn’t offered.

Monitoring: the labs, the metabolic panel, the drug levels

Every medication class carries its own monitoring protocol, and RECO builds those into the visit cadence rather than leaving them to the client to remember. Lithium requires baseline and periodic TSH, creatinine, and calcium, plus serum levels drawn 12 hours post-dose at least quarterly. Divalproex requires baseline LFTs, CBC with platelets, and periodic levels. Lamotrigine requires strict titration and rash counseling — the slow taper up to a therapeutic dose is not optional.

Second-generation antipsychotics — quetiapine, olanzapine, aripiprazole, risperidone — require baseline and annual metabolic monitoring per ADA/APA consensus guidance: HbA1c, fasting lipids, weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure. Clozapine, when used, follows REMS-mandated ANC monitoring on the manufacturer’s schedule. Stimulants require documented cardiovascular history and BP/pulse at each visit.

None of this is exotic. It is standard of care that gets skipped when clients bounce between prescribers or refill through a portal without a real visit. Continuity with a single psychiatrist is what makes the monitoring reliable.

What to expect on your first visit

New clients from Pompano Beach complete intake paperwork and baseline PHQ-9, GAD-7, and — where relevant — MDQ, ASRS, or Y-BOCS instruments before arriving. The evaluation itself runs 60-90 minutes with an MD or DO psychiatric provider. Prior records, medication lists, and pharmacy information should be sent in advance whenever possible; the more of the medication trial history is documented, the fewer dead ends the plan will run into.

Most clients leave visit one with a working DSM-5-TR formulation, a written treatment plan, any indicated lab orders, and either a prescription or a documented reason to hold. Follow-ups are typically scheduled at 2-4 weeks after initiation or a dose change, then spaced to 4-8 weeks once the regimen is stable. Telepsychiatry follow-ups are available for established Florida clients when clinically appropriate.

Insurance and admissions from Pompano Beach

RECO Integrated Psychiatry is in-network with Florida Blue, Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Humana, and BCBS plans. Benefits are verified before the first visit and clients receive a written estimate of any deductible or coinsurance responsibility. Out-of-network arrangements and superbill support are available where the client’s plan does not cover in-network psychiatry.

Admissions from Pompano Beach are typically scheduled within days, not weeks. The office sits 18 miles north on I-95 — a 28-minute drive outside rush — with on-site parking. Clients from Cresthaven, Lighthouse Point, Sea Ranch Lakes, and Hillsboro Shores generally find the round-trip fits inside a standard workday.

Serving residents of: Cresthaven, Lighthouse Point, Sea Ranch Lakes, Hillsboro Shores.