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
- Behavioral Disorders
- Bipolar Disorder
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Depression
- Mental Health
- Mood Disorders
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Psychopharmacology
- Psychosis
- Psychotherapy
- Suicidal Ideation
- Women's Mental Health
Conditions and procedures
Conditions I treat
- Acute Stress Disorder
- Addiction Disorders
- Adjustment Disorder
- Agitation
- Alcohol Addiction
- Alcohol Dependency
- Anger Issues
- Anorexia Nervosa
- Antisocial Personality Disorder
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Autism
- Behavioral Disorders
- Behavioral Issues In Dementia
- Bereavement
- Bipolar Disorder
- Body Dysmorphic Disorder
- Borderline Personality Disorder
- Brief Psychotic Disorder
- Bulimia Nervosa
- Complicated Bereavement Disorder
- Compulsive And Addictive Behaviors
- Conversion Disorder
- Cyclothymic Disorder
- Delusional Disorder
- Dependent Personality Disorder
- Depression
- Disruptive Behavior
- Dissociative Disorders
- Dual Diagnosis
- Dysthymia
- Eating Disorders
- Executive Function Disorder
- Gender Dysphoria
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Grief
- Hallucinations
- Hoarding Disorder
- Hypochondriasis
- Hypomania
- Impulse Control Disorders
- Intermittent Explosive Disorder
- Mania
- Mental Health Disorders
- Mood Disorders
- Narcissistic Personality Disorder
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Panic Attack
- Paranoia And Delusional Disorders
- Perinatal Mental Health Disorders
- Perinatal Mood Disorders
- Persistent Depressive Disorder
- Personality Disorder
- Phobia
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
- Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
- Psycho Oncology
- Psychopharmacology
- Psychosis
- Psychosomatic Disorders
- Schizoaffective Disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Seasonal Affective Disorder
- Self Harming Behaviors
- Somatic Symptom Disorder
- Somatoform Disorders
- Substance Addiction
- Substance Dependence
- Suicidal Ideation
- Suicide Attempt
- Thought Disorder
- Trichotillomania
Procedures I perform
- Adult Psychiatry
- Anger Management
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Men's Mental Health
- Mental Health
- Neuropsychiatry
- Psychotherapy
- Transplant Psychiatry
- Women's Mental Health
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
- Aetna Open Choice (PPO)
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO Plans
- Innovation Health: Open POS Plus
- Innovation Health: Open POS II
- Aetna Managed Choice Open Access (POS)
- Aetna Choice POS & Choice POS II
- Innovation Health: POS Plus
- Aetna Managed Choice (POS)
- Innovation Health: POS
- Aetna Open HMO/Open HMO Option/Open EPO Plus
- Aetna HMO-Open Access/Select OA
- Aetna HealthFund/Health Network Option OA
- Innovation Health: HMO & EPO Plus
- Aetna Select HMO/HealthFund/Health Network
- Aetna HMO
- Innovation Health: Open Network Only Plus
- Aetna Elect Choice/ Open Access (POS)
- Innovation Health: Network Only Plus
- Aetna Elect Choice/ EPO (Aetna Health Fund)
- Cigna TotalCare (HMO D-SNP)
- Cigna Preferred Medicare
- Cigna Alliance Medicare (HMO) |
- Cigna Achieve Medicare (HMO C-SNP)
- Veterans Affairs Community Care Network (VA CCN)
- United Medicare Advantage DSNP District of Columbia
- United Student Resources
- United Select Plus (POS)
- United Select HMO - EPO/NPP
- United Options (PPO) (includes Empire PPO)
- United Golden Rule
- United GEHA (for all other states) Compass Rose
- D-SNP)
- I-SNP
- United Nursing Home Plan (C-SNP
- United Erickson Advantage Plans
- United Choice Plus
- United Choice
- United Mamsi Life & Health
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthy Families
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthcare Alliance
- United MD IPA Preferred (POS)
- United MD IPA (HMO)
- Kaiser Permanente Signature-Added Choice
- Kaiser Signature
- Kaiser HMO Plus and DHMO Plus Member
- Kaiser Select-Added Choice
- Kaiser Select
- Kaiser Medicare Plus
- Kaiser Medicare Advantage Signature and Select
- Kaiser Flexible Choice
- Kaiser Maryland Medicaid MCO
- HumanaChoice PPO
- HumanaChoice Honor’s plan PPO
- Health Services for Children with Special Needs (HSCSN)
- Cigna True Choice Plus Medicare (PPO)
- Cigna True Choice Medicare (PPO)
- Cigna POS/Network POS
- Cigna Indemnity
- Cigna POS Open Access & Open Access Plus
- Cigna Network Open Access
- Cigna HMO Open Access
- Cigna PPO and PPO Plus
- CIGNA EPO
- Cigna Choice Fund PPO
- Choice Care Network/HUMANA (PPO)
- Beech Street PPO
- Anthem Plus BCBS of VA HealthKeepers Plus
- Anthem (POS & Open Access POS) BCBS of VA HealthKeepers
- Anthem HMO - BCBS of VA HealthKeepers
- Innovation Health: Indemnity
- Aetna Traditional Choice (PPO)
- Aetna Student Health Insurance
- Aetna Signature Administrator PPO/TPA
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (POS)
- Innovation Health: PPO
- Cigna HMO & Network (HMO)
- WellPoint Maryland - Maryland Health Choice
- WellPoint Maryland
- Virginia Premier
- Veterans Affairs Community Care Network
- UnitedHealthcare Individual Exchange Plans
- United Community Plan - Maryland Health Choice Program
- Private Health Care Systems (PHCS) (PPO)
- Police and Fire Clinic
- United Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) & OCI Direct (HMO)
- United Optimum Choice
- United Navigate
- United Core Essential (HMO)
- United Group Medicare Advantage Plans
- United AARP Medicare Complete
- Traditional Medicare Fee for Service
- Medicaid - Virginia
- Medicaid - Maryland
- Medicaid - District of Columbia
- Tricare for Life East
- Tricare Reserve Select
- Tricare East Select
- Tricare East Prime
- Maryland Point of Service Plan (MPOS)
- HealthyBlue PPO
- Federal Employee Program (Std/Basic PPO/Blue Focus)
- CareFirst NASCO
- CareFirst MedStar Select PPO
- CareFirst MedStar PPO
- CareFirst Maryland Indemnity or PPO
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage prescription drug benefit (PPO)
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage
- CareFirst BC/BS Advantage Core/Enhanced
- CareFirst Blue Card Program (Out-of-area BCBS plans)
- CareFirst Administrators
- CareFirst (NCA) Indemnity
- Carefirst BlueChoice Opt Out Plus Open Access (POS)
- Carefirst Healthy Blue (HMO/POS)
- Carefirst BlueChoice Opt Out Open Access
- Carefirst BlueChoice Open Access
- Carefirst BlueChoice HMO
- Carefirst EPO
- Carefirst Blue Preferred PPO
- Coventry Health Care National Network PPO
- MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
- First Health PPO
- Coventry of Delaware HMO/PPO
- Coventry Health Care of Virginia
- Great-West Healthcare POS/CIGNA
Education
Board Certification: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Psychiatry
Board Certification: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Neurology
Fellowship: Georgetown University Medical Center GME (1990)
Residency: Tufts Medical Center (1989)
Medical School: Perelman School Of Medicine At The University Of Pennsylvania (1985)