The Problem with Fragmented Care
Here is how it usually goes. Your primary care doctor notices you are struggling emotionally, so they refer you to a psychiatrist. Three months later you get in, and the psychiatrist recommends therapy too - so you spend another few weeks finding a therapist who can see you. Six months in, you have three providers, none of whom have ever spoken to each other. Each visit starts with you re-telling your story. When one provider changes a medication, the others find out by accident.
That model is common because it is what insurance and real estate have made easy - not because it is what patients actually need.
What Integrated Care Means at Ascend
We built the opposite. Every patient at Ascend has the option to see all of their providers within one practice, and we made sure those providers actually communicate:
- Shared chart. Your primary-care notes, psychiatric notes, therapy notes, and lab results are in one electronic record. Any Ascend provider treating you has the full picture.
- Direct communication. Our clinicians talk. When your psychiatrist adjusts a medication, your therapist knows by the time you sit down with them. When your primary-care doctor orders a thyroid panel, your psychiatrist sees the result.
- No referral cycles. If your primary-care visit surfaces a psychiatric concern, Dr. Saylor can hand you directly to Anna Stouffer, PMHNP-BC. You are not starting a new intake process from zero.
- Coordinated treatment plans. For complex cases - ADHD with co-occurring anxiety, depression with trauma history, bipolar disorder - we plan across disciplines so the treatment components reinforce each other.
Four Service Lines Under One Roof
Ascend offers what most Florida practices split across three or four separate offices:
- Primary care and family medicine - Dr. Jason Saylor, DO. Chronic disease management, preventive care, acute visits, women’s health, senior care.
- Psychiatric care and medication management - Anna Stouffer, PMHNP-BC. Evaluations, medication management, ADHD assessments, mood and anxiety treatment.
- Talk therapy and counseling - a team of licensed and pre-licensed clinicians led by Kaylee Mills Brenneman, LMHC. CBT, DBT, EMDR, IFS, and ERP modalities.
- Ketamine therapy - for treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, and chronic pain. Medically supervised at our Wesley Chapel flagship.
Hybrid Access Model
You do not have to pick between in-person and telehealth. Most of our patients do both, depending on the week and the need:
- In person at our Wesley Chapel flagship (all 4 service lines), Tampa (primary care, psychiatry via telehealth, therapy), or Lakeland (therapy, psychological testing).
- Via Florida telehealth for psychiatry and therapy, from anywhere in Florida. Same provider each visit, HIPAA-secure video, no app install.
Access Without the Waitlist
Florida’s average wait for a new psychiatric evaluation is 3 to 6 months. We hold same-day and next-day appointments open. We built the capacity by running multiple clinics, blending in-person and telehealth, and actively credentialing with 9 insurance carriers so you do not have to choose between "cash-only" and "what the heck is my EOB."
Named, Visible Providers
You see the same clinician every visit. Every provider on our team has a full bio with credentials, training, specialties, and a photo. We do not do algorithm-matched anonymity.
What We Are Not
- Not a crisis line. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) or 911. We are an outpatient practice.
- Not a substitute for ER care. Severe acute symptoms (active suicidal planning, psychosis, severe withdrawal) need emergency-department evaluation.
- Not for children under 18 in most service lines. We primarily treat adults. Select therapists see adolescents - call to check availability.
- Not a replacement for specialty care. We are primary care and outpatient psychiatry. Cardiology, oncology, neurology, and hospital-based services are referred out with coordinated follow-up.
Ready to Experience Integrated Care?
Book a Visit or call (813) 670-3005. We verify your insurance before your first appointment and match you with the provider best suited to what you are working on.