Ketamine therapy cost depends on three main things: how the medicine is given, how many sessions you need, and whether you need maintenance later. Because ketamine is used off-label for mental health, insurance rarely pays the full cost. At Foundation Medical Group in Richmond, VA, ketamine therapy is self-pay, and some plans cover a portion.
If you’re looking into ketamine after other treatments let you down, this guide shows what you may pay. It won’t make the bill smaller, but it should make it less of a surprise.
What Is Included in the Cost of Ketamine Therapy?
The total cost of ketamine therapy usually covers more than one visit. It can include a first consultation, a series of infusions or injections, monitoring and recovery time, and any maintenance doses later. That’s easy to miss if you only hear a per-visit number.
When you call, ask about each part on its own. Is there a fee for the initial consultation? What’s the charge for each infusion? What happens if you need extra appointments later? Asking about money in a medical office can feel awkward. Ask anyway.
At Foundation Medical Group, each ketamine infusion takes about 45 to 60 minutes. It happens in a monitored setting, with recovery time after each dose. That staff time is part of any ketamine treatment, and it’s one reason the price covers more than the medicine itself.
After your consultation, your healthcare provider builds a treatment plan with you. And a personalized treatment plan helps you see the likely total before you start.
What Shapes the Price of Ketamine Treatment?
Several things shape the pricing of ketamine treatment. Some are obvious. Others aren’t.
How it is given. A scoping review of ketamine research found that the IV infusion is the most common route, and that intramuscular injection is an emerging option. Foundation Medical Group offers both IV ketamine and intramuscular (IM) ketamine. Oral ketamine also exists, but we don’t offer it. Ask clinics how their price differs by route.
How many sessions you need. Ketamine treatment is usually given as a series, not a single dose. In one well-known study, patients received up to six IV infusions over 12 days. So every infusion adds to your total.
Maintenance. Some patients need top-up doses after the first series to keep their symptoms down. That adds up over time, which is better to know before you start rather than halfway through. Nobody wants to find that out mid-series, when they’re finally starting to feel better.
Monitoring. Every visit needs trained staff to watch you during and after the dose.
The reason for treatment. Some clinics use ketamine for chronic pain. Pain care is a different service, so this article doesn’t cover pain pricing. Foundation Medical Group uses ketamine treatment for mental health conditions only: treatment-resistant depression, chronic PTSD and severe anxiety.
Does Insurance Cover Ketamine Therapy?
Often, not fully. The reason is the drug’s label. In a 2026 warning letter, the FDA states that ketamine is not FDA-approved for any psychiatric disorder. So ketamine for depression, PTSD or anxiety is off-label, and off-label care for psychiatric conditions is often where coverage gets thin.
A survey of ketamine providers, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, shows what this means for patients. Providers reported that 64% of their patients paid entirely out of pocket. Only 23% had partial reimbursement from insurance. That’s a frustrating number if you were counting on your plan.
A scoping review on PMC names limited insurance coverage as a real financial barrier. It also found that esketamine (Spravato), which is FDA-approved, has better coverage than off-label IV ketamine. Read more in our guide, Is Spravato covered by insurance?
To check your own plan, call the number on your card. Ask whether it pays for off-label ketamine infusions, whether reimbursement is possible, and what clinical evidence it needs from your provider. If the answer is yes, even for part of it, that’s a genuine relief. Write down who you spoke to and the date, in case the bill doesn’t match what you were told.
At Foundation Medical Group, ketamine therapy is self-pay, and some plans cover a portion. Call to confirm coverage before your first payment. In Virginia, we do not accept Medicare.
How Much Does Ketamine Therapy Cost Without Insurance?
There’s no honest single number to give you. Prices vary by provider, by route and by how many infusions you need. So this article lists none. Probably not what you hoped to read, but it’s the straight answer.
A quick word on vocabulary, since three different terms get used for one idea. Clinics tend to say “self-pay”, insurers say “out of pocket”, and some people just say “cash pay”. Here, they mean roughly the same thing: the bill comes to you first. It sounds like a small detail. It isn’t, when you’re reading a plan document at the kitchen table and trying to work out what applies to you.
Paying out of pocket for mental health care is common. In the provider survey above, 64% of patients paid the full amount themselves.
Before you book ketamine therapy anywhere, ask:
- What is the price per session?
- Is there a separate consultation fee?
- What is the total for the first full series?
- What does a maintenance session cost?
- Do you offer payment plans, financing options or financial assistance?
Clear answers help you plan your payment and weigh financing options against the real total. Mental health care is worth planning for.
At Foundation Medical Group, call the Richmond office for current ketamine pricing.
How Do Multiple Sessions Change the Total Treatment Cost?
Because ketamine is given as a series, your total treatment cost is a multiple of a single visit. Multiple sessions are the normal pattern.
A study in Biological Psychiatry shows why. Patients with treatment-resistant depression received up to six IV ketamine infusions (0.5 mg/kg), three times a week over 12 days. Of those patients, 70.8% responded. But relief didn’t always last. Among patients who responded, the median time to relapse was 18 days. That’s a hard figure to read if you’re hoping one series will be the end of it. It doesn’t mean relief won’t come. It means planning for more than one round is sensible.
That’s why some patients need maintenance treatment. Maintenance infusions can help keep symptoms from coming back, and each one adds to the total cost of ketamine infusion therapy.
How many you’ll need isn’t fixed in advance. Your provider sets it based on your symptoms and how you respond to each IV ketamine infusion. Ask about the full course of ketamine infusion therapy, not only the first visit.
Ketamine Infusion vs Spravato: Cost and Coverage Compared
Both a ketamine infusion and Spravato are used for treatment resistant depression, when traditional treatments such as antidepressant medication haven’t helped enough. But they’re paid for in different ways.
| IV/IM ketamine | Spravato (esketamine) | |
|---|---|---|
| FDA status | Not FDA-approved for any psychiatric disorder (off-label) | FDA-approved for treatment-resistant depression in adults, alone or with an oral antidepressant |
| How it is given | IV infusion or IM injection | Nasal spray |
| Time per visit at FMG | About 45 to 60 minute infusion, then recovery time | At least 2 hours of monitoring each session |
| Insurance picture | Limited coverage; at FMG, self-pay, some plans cover a portion | Better coverage than off-label IV ketamine; call to confirm coverage |
| Where at Foundation Medical Group | Richmond, VA clinic only | Richmond, VA clinic only |
Sources: the FDA warning letter, the Spravato label and the PMC scoping review.
Spravato has its own rules too, and they show up in the bill. The FDA label says Spravato is only available through a restricted program called the SPRAVATO REMS, so it’s given only in a certified healthcare setting. A healthcare provider has to monitor you for at least 2 hours at each treatment session. No taking it home. So every dose is a clinic visit with staff time, and that time shows up in the price too, not just the medicine. And then there’s timing. The label also sets the schedule for treatment-resistant depression: twice a week in weeks 1 to 4, once a week in weeks 5 to 8, then every 2 weeks or once a week. That’s a lot of visits up front. So when you ask about price, ask about the first 8 weeks, not one visit.
You may also see the term ketamine assisted psychotherapy. Some clinics bundle ketamine with therapy, which adds counseling time to the bill. We don’t offer that package. At Foundation Medical Group, talk therapy is its own service within your mental health treatment. For Spravato pricing, read our Spravato cost guide.
How Much Does Ketamine Therapy Cost Near Richmond, VA?
Foundation Medical Group offers IV and IM ketamine therapy for treatment-resistant depression, chronic PTSD and severe anxiety at one location: 11600 Busy Street, Suite 203, Richmond, VA 23236. Ketamine is not offered at our Utah, Georgia or Texas clinics.
For current figures, call our Richmond office. Our team can share pricing and help you check your plan. Ketamine is self-pay, and some plans cover a portion, so call to confirm coverage. In Virginia, we do not accept Medicare.
Spravato is also offered at the same office, for mental health issues that haven’t eased with other care. See all our treatments or visit our Virginia clinic page.
Don’t feel you have to have every answer before you pick up the phone. Asking is what the call is for. When you compare clinics, compare what a full series would come to. We do not offer detox, IOP, PHP, residential care or 24/7 supervision.
Key Takeaways
- Ketamine therapy cost depends on the route, the number of sessions and any maintenance.
- Ketamine is off-label for mental health, so insurance rarely pays the full cost.
- In one provider survey, 64% of patients paid entirely out of pocket.
- Spravato, which is FDA-approved, tends to have better coverage.
- In Richmond, VA, our ketamine therapy is self-pay and some plans cover a portion. Call to confirm coverage. Medicare is not accepted in Virginia.
FAQ
What does a ketamine infusion cost?
It varies by clinic, route and how many sessions you need, so no single honest number exists. Call the Foundation Medical Group Richmond clinic for current pricing.
How much does ketamine therapy cost out of pocket?
Often the full cost. In one survey of ketamine providers, 64% of patients paid entirely out of pocket. Ask for the total for a full series, not one visit.
Does Medicare pay for ketamine therapy in Virginia?
Foundation Medical Group does not accept Medicare in Virginia. Ketamine therapy at our Richmond clinic is self-pay, and some plans cover a portion, so call to confirm coverage.
Is Spravato more likely to be covered than ketamine?
In general, yes. A scoping review found that FDA-approved esketamine has better coverage than off-label IV ketamine. Your own cost still depends on your plan.
Why is ketamine therapy not covered like other depression treatments?
Ketamine is not FDA-approved for any psychiatric disorder, so plans often treat it as off-label. That is why so many patients pay for their ketamine treatment themselves.
Sources
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Warning Letter: Ketamine Store (www.ketaminestore.org), 06/23/2026.
- American Journal of Psychiatry via PMC, A survey of the clinical, off-label use of ketamine as a treatment for psychiatric disorders.
- PMC, Mapping the Use of Ketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression and Other Psychiatric Disorders: A Scoping Review.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration (Drugs@FDA), SPRAVATO (esketamine) nasal spray prescribing information.
- Biological Psychiatry via PMC, Rapid and Longer-Term Antidepressant Effects of Repeated Ketamine Infusions in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression.