Video visits for Kern County
Psychiatrist for Bakersfield and Kern County, by secure video
Dr. Veronica Sanchez, MD, a board-certified, UCLA-trained psychiatrist, sees adults in Bakersfield and across Kern County by video, in English or Spanish. Your first evaluation can be by video too, so care starts without the drive over the Grapevine.
● First visit by video ● Atención en español
● Seven insurance plans, including Medicare
First evaluation
50 minutes
Follow-up visits
25 minutes
We reply to new requests
1 business day
Video visits from anywhere in
California
How a video visit works
The same psychiatric care as an office visit, from a private spot at home.
Step by step
1 Request a time
Call or text (626) 681-3729, or request an appointment online. Tell us you’re in Kern County. We reply within one business day.
2 Complete your forms
Intake forms arrive before your visit, in English or Spanish.
3 Join from anywhere private
Visits run on athenahealth’s secure telehealth system, the same system that holds your chart. We send you the link before the visit.
4 Your first evaluation
Fifty minutes on your history, your symptoms and what you want to change. You leave with a plan you agree with: medication, a therapy referral, or both.
5 Follow-up visits
Twenty-five minutes to see how the plan is working and adjust it. Prescriptions go to the pharmacy you choose near home.
What you need
A private space
Home, an office with the door closed, or a parked car.
A camera and a steady connection
A phone, tablet or computer works.
To be in California during the visit
Dr. Sanchez is licensed in California, and state law requires that when you are here. If you travel out of state, tell us before you go.
Your cards and lists
Your insurance card, your current medications with doses, and the pharmacy you use.
What Dr. Sanchez treats by video
Adults 18 and over, for evaluation, diagnosis and medication management.
Neurodivergence
ADHD & ADD
High-functioning autism (ASD)
Mood
Depression
Bipolar disorder
Mood disorders
Grief
Anxiety and trauma
Anxiety
Panic disorder
OCD
PTSD
Stress
Women, family and identity
Women’s health
Reproductive psychiatry
Cultural psychiatry
Psychotic disorders
Schizophrenia
Schizoaffective disorder
ADHD MEDICATION
Under current federal rules, controlled medications such as stimulants can be prescribed by video without a prior in-person exam through December 31, 2026. Some pharmacies and health plans still ask to see you in person at least once, and we’ll tell you if yours does.
Insurance for Kern County patients
In network with seven plans, with superbills and self-pay for everything else.
Medicare
Medicare covers mental health visits by video from your home. After the 2026 Part B deductible of $283, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount.
Out of network
We provide superbills you can submit to your insurer for reimbursement.
Self-pay
Self-pay rates are available, with a Good Faith Estimate before your first visit.
Your share
Your copay, coinsurance and deductible are set by your plan. Ask the number on your card about telehealth behavioral health visits.
In network
As of October 22, 2026
Coming soon
Enrollment with these plans is in progress.
Medi-Cal: we don’t accept Medi-Cal plans.
Para pacientes del condado de Kern
Atención en español
¿Busca un psiquiatra que hable español en Bakersfield? La Dra. Veronica Sanchez, MD, psiquiatra certificada y formada en UCLA, atiende a adultos de todo el condado de Kern por videollamada segura, en español y sin intérprete.
Puede hablar de lo que siente en su propio idioma, desde su casa.
Primera cita por video
La primera evaluación dura 50 minutos y puede ser por video.
En español desde la primera llamada
Le atendemos en español por teléfono o mensaje de texto al (626) 681-3729.
Formularios en español
Le enviamos los formularios en español antes de la cita.
Seguros
Aceptamos Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, Carelon, Cigna, Optum, UnitedHealthcare y Medicare. No aceptamos Medi-Cal.
Where we see you
By video across Kern County
There’s no Bakersfield office yet. Care for Kern County is by secure video, anywhere you are in California.
Bakersfield · Delano · Shafter · Wasco
Arvin · Lamont · Tehachapi · Ridgecrest
Will I ever need to come to the office?
Sometimes. Most patients are seen by video most of the time. An in-person visit may be needed when symptoms call for an exam, when a pharmacy asks for one for a controlled medication, or, starting in 2028, for Medicare’s yearly in-person visit for telehealth mental health care.
We always tell you ahead of time, so you can plan the drive.
In person in Los Angeles
3800 Barham Blvd, Suite 416, Los Angeles, CA 90068. Off the 101 at Barham Blvd, between Universal City and Toluca Lake, with parking in the building.
Treats
Adults 18+
Languages
English, Spanish
Visits
Video across California
New patients
Accepting
Your psychiatrist
Dr. Veronica Sanchez, MD
Board-certified psychiatrist, she/her
Dr. Sanchez completed her medical training at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, where she specialized in UCLA’s Spanish-Psychosocial Clinic, Psychotherapy Clinic and Palliative Psychiatry. She grew up in Central California and is proud of her Latinx heritage.
Questions from Kern County patients
More in our guide to seeing a psychiatrist by video in Kern County.
Can I see a psychiatrist online if I live in Bakersfield?
Yes. A psychiatrist licensed in California can see you by secure video as long as you are physically in California during the visit. Dr. Veronica Sanchez, MD, sees adults across Kern County this way, in English or Spanish.
Can my first visit be by video?
Yes. Kern County patients can do the first 50-minute evaluation by secure video, as long as they are physically in California during the visit.
Is there an office in Bakersfield?
Not yet. Today, Kern County patients are seen by video, and in-person visits are at our Los Angeles office at 3800 Barham Blvd, Suite 416.
What insurance do you take?
We are in network with Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, Carelon Behavioral Health, Cigna, Optum, UnitedHealthcare and Medicare. We do not accept Medi-Cal. For other plans we provide superbills, and self-pay rates come with a Good Faith Estimate before your first visit.
Can ADHD medication be prescribed by video?
Under current federal rules, yes. The DEA’s telemedicine flexibilities allow controlled medications, including stimulants, to be prescribed by audio-video visit without a prior in-person exam through December 31, 2026. In practice, your pharmacy or health plan may still ask you to be seen in person at least once.
Do you see patients in Spanish?
Yes. Dr. Sanchez sees patients in English or Spanish, by video or in person, and our office can help you in Spanish by phone or text.
Sources: Medical Board of California licensing rule (via CCHP) · DEA telemedicine extension · CMS Medicare telehealth FAQ, Feb 2026 · CMS 2026 Part B deductible
