Good psychiatric care is measurement-based care. Brief behavioral assessments are short, validated questionnaires that put objective numbers to how you are doing — helping your provider make an accurate diagnosis, choose the right treatment, and track your progress over time. Most are billed under code 96127 (brief emotional/behavioral assessment), and we administer, auto-score, and document them on the CNS Vital Signs platform, in office or by telehealth (CNS Vital Signs, n.d.).
Talk to your provider about ordering these brief behavioral assessments for you to further evaluate and treat your psychiatric diagnosis and disease state.
Brief behavioral assessments we offer
Through CNS Vital Signs, we can administer the following standardized rating instruments (listed alphabetically):
- Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1)
- Adult Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Inventory
- Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)
- Alertness Rating Scale (ARS)
- Child Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Inventory
- Childhood Cancer Survivor Study Neurocognitive Questionnaire (CCSS)
- Combat Exposure Scale (CES)
- Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21 and DASS-42)
- Deployment Risk and Resiliency Inventory (DRRI)
- Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI)
- Drug Use Questionnaire (DAST)
- Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS)
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7)
- Head Injury Questionnaire (HIQ)
- Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) Disability Scale
- Life Events Checklist (LEC and LEC-5 for DSM-5)
- Medical Outcomes Survey Short Form (MOS SF-36)
- Memory Questionnaire (MEMQ)
- Mental Health Screen (Health Risk)
- Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS)
- Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI)
- Numeric Pain Scale
- Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS)
- Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9, depression)
- Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC, PSC-17, and Youth Report)
- Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)
- PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)
- PTSD Checklist — Civilian Version (PCL-C)
- PTSD Checklist — Military Version (PCL-M)
- PTSD Checklist — Stressor-Specific Version (PCL-S)
- Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED, child and parent)
- Sedation Scale (SS)
- Social Anxiety Scale for Children and Adolescents
- Stanford Geriatric Depression Scale (SGDS)
- Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Parent Rating Scale
- Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Teacher Rating Scale
- Vanderbilt Assessment Follow-up Parent Rating Scale
- Vanderbilt Assessment Follow-up Teacher Rating Scale
- Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (ZSAS)
- Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (ZSDS)
Not every assessment is right for every person. Your provider will recommend the ones that fit your situation and explain what the results mean for your care. (Substance-use screens such as the AUDIT and DAST are billed under separate SBIRT codes rather than 96127.)
Getting care by telehealth
Most of these assessments are self-guided and can be completed from home, so you can do them by telehealth or in our office — whichever is easier for you.
Lasting access by telehealth
As we complete the final stages of becoming a Rural Health Clinic (RHC), telehealth for mental-health care is here to stay with us. Under Medicare’s rural-health rules, RHCs are permanently authorized to provide behavioral and mental-health care by telehealth — including into your home, anywhere in Hawaiʻi — not under the temporary flexibilities that expire and must be renewed. For our patients, that means dependable, lasting telehealth access to the care you need.
Wherever you live, OhanaPsych is your statewide practice. We provide care across the entire state of Hawaiʻi by telehealth, reaching every island — Hawaiʻi Island, Maui, Oʻahu, Kauaʻi, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, and Niʻihau. If you would rather be seen in person, you have that option at our offices in Hilo and Honolulu.
When to reach out
You do not need to be in crisis to reach out — new patients are welcome. Call (808) 777-9460 or start your request online.
If you or someone you love is thinking about suicide or self-harm, get help right away. Call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org). In Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi CARES is available by calling or texting 988, or at 808-832-3100 / 800-753-6879. In a life-threatening emergency, call 911.
Medically reviewed by George Mackel, MSN, APRN, NP-C, PMHNP-BC, CARN-AP — President & Owner, OhanaPsych / Ohana Care Clinic.
Last reviewed: June 28, 2026. Citations verified: June 28, 2026.
This page is general health education from OhanaPsych. It is not a substitute for a personal evaluation by a qualified clinician who knows your situation, and reading it does not create a provider–patient relationship. In an emergency, call 911.
References
Birmaher, B., Khetarpal, S., Brent, D., Cully, M., Balach, L., Kaufman, J., & Neer, S. M. (1997). The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED): Scale construction and psychometric characteristics. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 36(4), 545–553. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-199704000-00018
Blevins, C. A., Weathers, F. W., Davis, M. T., Witte, T. K., & Domino, J. L. (2015). The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5): Development and initial psychometric evaluation. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 28(6), 489–498. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22059
Buysse, D. J., Reynolds, C. F., Monk, T. H., Berman, S. R., & Kupfer, D. J. (1989). The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: A new instrument for psychiatric practice and research. Psychiatry Research, 28(2), 193–213. https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-1781(89)90047-4
CNS Vital Signs. (n.d.). CNS Vital Signs computerized rating instruments. https://www.cnsvs.com/WhitePapers/CNSVS-RatingInstruments.pdf
Jellinek, M. S., Murphy, J. M., Robinson, J., Feins, A., Lamb, S., & Fenton, T. (1988). Pediatric Symptom Checklist: Screening school-age children for psychosocial dysfunction. The Journal of Pediatrics, 112(2), 201–209. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3476(88)80056-8
Johns, M. W. (1991). A new method for measuring daytime sleepiness: The Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Sleep, 14(6), 540–545. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/14.6.540
Kessler, R. C., Adler, L., Ames, M., Demler, O., Faraone, S., Hiripi, E., … Walters, E. E. (2005). The World Health Organization Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS): A short screening scale for use in the general population. Psychological Medicine, 35(2), 245–256. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291704002892
Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. W. (2001). The PHQ-9: Validity of a brief depression severity measure. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 16(9), 606–613. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.x
Lovibond, P. F., & Lovibond, S. H. (1995). The structure of negative emotional states: Comparison of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) with the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 33(3), 335–343. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(94)00075-U
Saunders, J. B., Aasland, O. G., Babor, T. F., de la Fuente, J. R., & Grant, M. (1993). Development of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT): WHO collaborative project on early detection of persons with harmful alcohol consumption—II. Addiction, 88(6), 791–804. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.1993.tb02093.x
Spitzer, R. L., Kroenke, K., Williams, J. B. W., & Löwe, B. (2006). A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: The GAD-7. Archives of Internal Medicine, 166(10), 1092–1097. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092
Ware, J. E., & Sherbourne, C. D. (1992). The MOS 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36): I. Conceptual framework and item selection. Medical Care, 30(6), 473–483.
Wolraich, M. L., Lambert, W., Doffing, M. A., Bickman, L., Simmons, T., & Worley, K. (2003). Psychometric properties of the Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Parent Rating Scale in a referred population. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 28(8), 559–567. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsg046
Frequently Asked Questions
Does OhanaPsych accept QUEST, Medicaid, and insurance for brief behavioral assessments?
Yes. We are in network with the Hawaiʻi QUEST Integration plans — AlohaCare, HMSA, ʻOhana Health Plan, and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan — and we also accept Medicare and most commercial insurance. If you are not sure about your coverage, contact our office and we will help you check.
Can I receive brief behavioral assessments by telehealth, or do I need to come into the office?
We offer both. You can be seen in person at our Honolulu or Hilo office, or by secure telehealth from anywhere in Hawaiʻi. Some visits or treatments may require an in-person appointment, and we will let you know if that applies to your care.
How do I make an appointment for brief behavioral assessments?
You can request an appointment through our online scheduling page, or call us at (808) 777-9460 for Honolulu or (808) 867-8002 for Hilo. We welcome new patients and will help match you with the right provider.
Who provides brief behavioral assessments at OhanaPsych?
Care is provided by our team of licensed, board-certified psychiatric providers. You can read about each member of our team on our Providers page.
