White Salmon, WA, May 10, 2018: NorthShore Medical Group (NSMG), a community-based practice serving residents of the Columbia River Gorge, is pleased to announce that Dr. Alicia Gimenez & Dr. Greg Zuck will be providing autism screening and diagnosis services. 

Being an Autism Center of Excellence (COE) means that NSMG has the ability to diagnose, evaluate, and access many Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) treatments and therapies. This will allow patients to start receiving services in a more timely manner.  

"Early treatment is important, as delaying diagnosis inhibits the outcome for children on the autism spectrum," says Dr. Zuck. Patients will no longer have to set screening appointments in Portland that can take up to 6 to 9 months, which can be detrimental to the patient.

The NSMG staff will also be able to continually evaluate and manage ongoing treatments and act as a reference for helping families connect with local support and therapy, improving access and outcomes for children on the autism spectrum.  

In order for a child to be eligible for ABA therapy through Apple Health/Washington Medicaid, a recognized COE like NSMG, must conduct a comprehensive evaluation, and write an order for ABA therapy. If it is determined that the child meets the medical necessity for ABA services, the family will be provided with a copy of their comprehensive evaluation, recommendations, and order for ABA treatment.  

ABA is considered the standard of care for treatment of autism spectrum disorders. In the Gorge, ABA services are provided by Gorge Behavior Solutions. Learn more at: https://gorgebehaviorsolutions.com/ Center of Excellence services are available in Stevenson and White Salmon offices, and available in English & Spanish.