About me
Dr. Steve Epstein is Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry of the Georgetown University School of Medicine and Chief of Service of the Department of Psychiatry of MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. He is also Physician Executive Director for Behavioral Health for MedStar Health, a non-profit healthcare organization that includes ten hospitals in DC and Maryland. In this role, he oversees physician recruitment, strategic planning, and quality improvement in inpatient and outpatient psychiatric settings.
He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale College and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. After completing a residency in psychiatry at Tufts-New England Medical Center, he was a fellow in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and Inova Fairfax Hospital. From 1990 to 2000 he directed Georgetown’s Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry service and he became department chair in 2001. He currently directs the Physician Health Committee for the MedStar Health system.
Dr. Epstein has conducted NIH-funded research and published extensively in the area of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. In 2001, he was awarded an RO1 grant from NIMH to study primary care physicians’ decision-making in the evaluation and treatment of depression. He has also been principal investigator on two other NIMH grants in this area. He has been the recipient of four teaching awards from Georgetown psychiatry residents. In 2011 he was elected by his peers to the MAGIS Society of Masters Teachers of the Georgetown University School of Medicine.
In 2016 Dr. Epstein served as President of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, the 1400 member national organization for Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. He recently ended his term as Vice Chair of the Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Committee of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. In July 2015, he was appointed to a six-year term as a member of the Psychiatry Review Committee for the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. For the past seven years he has been a visiting Professor at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya.
Clinical areas of focus
- Bipolar Disorder
- Bipolar Disorder Treatment
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Depression
- Depression Treatment
- Mood Disorder Treatment
- Psychopharmacology
- Psychotherapy
- Schizoid Personality Disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Suicidal Ideation Treatment
- Women's Mental Health Treatment
Conditions and procedures
Conditions I treat
- Adjustment Disorder
- Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Amphetamine Addiction
- Anxiety
- Bipolar Disorder
- Cognitive Function Disorders
- Depression
- Depressive Episode
- Emotional Disorders
- Gallbladder Disease
- Hallucinations
- Late Stage Syphilis
- Mental Health Conditions
- Mood Disorders
- Panic Attacks
- Psychotic Disorder
- Reaction To Stress And Adjustment Disorders In Children
- Respiratory Disorders
- Schizoid Personality Disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Sedative Use Disorder
- Sedative, Hypnotic, Or Anxiolytic Related Disorders
- Sleep Disorders
- Somatoform Disorder
- Suicidal Thought
Procedures I perform
- Adjustment Disorder Treatment
- Alcohol Abuse Counseling
- Anxiety Disorder Treatment
- Anxiety Management
- Behavioral Activation
- Bipolar Disorder Treatment
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Depression Treatment
- Electroconvulsive Therapy
- Existential Group Therapy
- Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing
- Graston Technique
- Grief Counseling
- Group Therapy
- Health Promotion Counseling
- Hypnotherapy
- Infusion Therapy
- Mental Health Assessment
- Mood Disorder Treatment
- Motivational Interviewing
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Treatment
- Pain Medication Management
- Pharmacological Treatment Of Hypertension
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment
- Psychiatric Diagnostic Evaluation With Medical Services
- Psychiatric Evaluation
- Psychopharmacology
- Psychotherapy
- Schizophrenia Treatment
- Suicidal Ideation Treatment
- Suicide Intervention
- Supportive Care
- Women's Mental Health Treatment
Insurance
MedStar Health accepts most major health insurance plans. If you are uncertain as to whether your individual health insurance plan is accepted at MedStar Health, please call your insurance company.
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List of insurance plans we accept
- Lasso Healthcare - Medicare Medical Savings Account
- WellPoint Maryland - Maryland Health Choice
- Health Services for Children with Special Needs
- Navigate
- TriWest Healthcare Alliance
- Humana Medicare Advantage - PPO
- MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
- BCBS Out-of-State Medicare Plans (Blue Advantage)
- Aetna Better Health of MD
- Cigna Alliance Medicare (HMO)
- Private Fee-for-Service Plans (PFFS)
- Optimum Choice Preferred (POS)
- United Healthcare Choice
- Jai Medical Systems - Maryland Health Choice
- United Healthcare Choice Plus
- Kaiser Permaenete Signature - Added Choice Cardiac Global
- Employee Health Plan
- Aetna Premier 200PD
- Aetna Advantage 6350
- IH-EPO Plus
- Anthem Federal Employee Program Standard
- CareFirst (NCA) Indemnity
- Aetna Better Health of VA
- Optimum Choice & Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) Cardiac Global
- IH-Network Only Plus
- CareFirst Community Health Plan of MD
- Amerigroup DC Healthy Families
- AmeriHealth Caritas DC Healthcare Alliance
- United Healthcare Select HMO - EPO/NPP
- CIGNA POS/Network POS
- Alterwood Advanatge HMO & DSNP Plans
- HumanaChoice Honor's plan PPO
- HumanaChoice PPO
- UHC Passport
- Kaiser Permanente Signature - Added Choice
- United Student Resources
- Medicare Direct
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice POS Cardiac Global
- Veterans Affairs Community Care Network
- Choice POS
- IH-Open POS Plus
- Tricare Reserve Select
- Police and Fire Clinic
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO)
- United Healthcare Choice Cardiac Global
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage Signature and Select
- CareFirst Blue Choice Opt Out Plus Open Access (POS)
- Johns Hopkins Advantage MD HMO
- United Healthcare Options (PPO)
- Aetna Managed Choice Open Access (POS)
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage DSNP District of Columbia
- United Healthcare Select HMO-EPO/NPP Cardiac Global
- Cigna Achieve Medicare (HMO C-SNP)
- NYC Medicare Advantage Plus
- Aetna Managed Choice (POS)
- Amerigroup DC Alliance
- Blue Choice Advantage
- Healthy Blue (HMO, POS)
- IH-Open EPO Plus
- First Health PPO
- AmeriHealth Caritas DC Healthy Families
- CIGNA SureFit (HMO)
- Aetna Elect Choice/ EPO (Aetna Health Fund)
- Cigna TotalCare (HMO D-SNP)
- Advantra Platinum (PPO)
- IH-HMO
- Aetna Worker's Compensation Network
- Cigna True Choice Plus Medicare (PPO)
- Aetna HMO
- CIGNA PPO Plus
- TRICARE East Prime
- CIGNA Indemnity
- UHC Group Medicare Advantage Plans (HMO, POS, PPO)
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (POS)
- Anthem BCBS Medi Blue Dual Adv
- CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Advantage Core/Enhanced
- Aetna Classic 5000PD
- Network OA
- Johns Hopkins Advantage MD PPO
- CareFirst MedStar Select PPO
- Kaiser Maryland Medicaid MCO
- Aetna Signature Administrator PPO/TPA
- M.D. IPA Preferred (POS)
- Medicare Advantage - Advantra Value (PPO)
- CIGNA HMO & Network (HMO)
- Private Health Care Systems (PPO)
- DC/MD SHOP QHP Small Business Plans
- Anthem BCBS of VA Key Care POS/PPO/Indemnity
- Optima Family Care MCO - VA Medicaid MCO
- Aetna Classic 5000
- Aetna Traditional Choice (PPO)
- CareFirst BlueChoice HMO
- United Healthcare Choice Plus Cardiac Global
- Choice Fund PPO
- CareFirst EPO
- Anthem Federal Employee Program Basic
- HUMANA/Choice Care Medicare Plans (Choice, Gold Choice)
- Johns Hopkins Advantage MD PLUS PPO
- IH-Open HMO
- CareFirst NASCO
- Kaiser Permanente Select
- Maryland Physicians Care MCO
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO) Cardiac Global
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthy Families
- TRICARE for Life East
- OCI Direct (HMO)
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage prescription drug benefit (PPO)
- HighMark
- Aetna Basic
- MultiPlan, Inc
- Anthem BCBS of VA HealthKeepers Plus
- CareFirst Federal Employee Program (Std. & Basic PPO)
- CareFirst Blue Card Program
- CIGNA PPO
- Aetna Advantage 6350PD
- First Health PPO
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO)
- BlueChoice Open Access
- United HealthCare Community Plan - Maryland Health Choice Program
- Choice POS II
- Aetna Medicare Advantage PFFS Plan
- Kaiser Permanente HMO Plus and DHMO Plus Member
- BCBS of Michigan (BCN Advantage,Security Blue, Freedom, Medicare PLUS Blue Group PPO)
- Coventry of Delaware HMO/PPO
- Sentara Health
- Select HMO/HealthFund/Health Network
- Uniformed Services Family Health Plan
- Optimum Choice
- Aetna Classic 3500
- CareFirst Maryland Indemnity or PPO
- Cigna Preferred Medicare (HMO)
- Erickson Advantage Plans
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage
- Fee-for-Service (FFS) District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia Medicaid
- Choice POS II Open Access
- Beech Street PPO
- AMERIVANTAGE/Amerigroup Community Care
- Anthem BCBS of VA HealthKeepers (POS & POS OA)
- Aetna Student Health Insurance
- IH-PPO
- Aetna HMO-Open Access/Select OA/HealthFund/Health Network Option OA
- Aetna Open Choice (PPO)
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO Plans
- MD IPA (HMO) & MD IPA Preferred Cardiac Global
- HealthyBlue PPO
- Geisinger Medicare Advantage
- Anthem BCBS Medi Blue SNP
- Coventry Health Care National Network PPO
- CareFirst FEP Blue Focus
- Kaiser Permanente Select Cardiac Global
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Plus
- Aetna VA Exchange
- United Healthcare Select Plus (POS)
- POS OA
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice 3-tier POS
- IH-Open POS II
- CIGNA HMO Open Access
- Anthem BCBS Medi Blue Plus
- United Healthcare Community Plan - VA Medicaid MCO
- CareFirst Blue Choice Opt Out Open Access
- Core Essential (HMO)
- United Medicare Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plans
- Humana Gold Plus HMO
- CIGNA Connect EPO
- IH-Open Network Only Plus
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Adv. Special Needs Plans
- Priority Partners - Maryland Health Choice
- Options PPO Cardiac Global
- Aetna Elect Choice/ Open Access (POS)
- Great-West Healthcare POS/CIGNA
- Medicare FFS
- CareFirst MedStar PPO
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthcare Alliance
- CareFirst Dual Prime HMO-SNP
- United Healthcare Navigate Cardiac Global
- Aetna Advantage 5750
- TRICARE East Select
- CareFirst Maryland Point of Service Plan
- IH-Open HMO Option
- Kaiser Permanente Select - Added Choice
- Fee-for-Service (FFS) District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia Medicaid
- Cigna True Choice Medicare (PPO)
- IH-POS Plus
- Humana Medicare Advantage - HMO Open Access
- CareFirst Administrators
- CIGNA EPO
- Choice Care Network/HUMANA (PPO)
- OA Plus
- UnitedHealthcare Individual Exchange Plans
- Kaiser Permanente Signature
- Magellan Complete Care of VA - VA Medicaid MCO
- Anthem BCBS of VA HealthKeepers (HMO)
- CareFirst Blue Preferred PPO
- MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
- IH-Indemnity
- IH-POS
- UnitedHealthcare and AARP Medicare Complete Plans
- M.D. IPA (HMO)
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthcare Alliance
- UnitedHealthcare Individual Exchange Plans
- Coventry Health Care of Virginia
Education
Board Certification: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Psychiatry and Neurology
Fellowship: Georgetown University Medical Center GME (1990)
Residency: Tufts Medical Center (1989)
Internship: Tufts Medical Center (1986)
Medical School: Perelman School Of Medicine At The University Of Pennsylvania (1985)