PRACTICE POLICIES
This information is provided to acquaint you with my practice and to some of my routine office policies. Good communication is the foundation of effective care, so please let me know if you have questions or concerns about any matters relevant to treatment.
My practice is designed to provide outpatient services: evaluation, diagnosis, and appropriate treatment. The treatment approach utilized will depend on assessment of the particular difficulties you are experiencing. If it were to become necessary for you to be treated in a hospital setting, I would be available to continue with my outpatient treatment at the time of your discharge.
APPOINTMENTS
The nature of psychiatric care requires that my office visits be scheduled on an appointment basis. Session lengths are generally 50-70 minutes for intake, 45 - 50 minutes for therapy, 20-25 minutes for medication follow-up. My time is reserved for you. Cancellations must occur at least 72 hours in advance to avoid incurrence of a charge. Please understand that I will do absolutely everything possible to fill times that are cancelled less than 72 hours in advance, and if I am able to fill these times, you will not be responsible for the charge. If these times can not be filled due to the short notice, however, you will remain responsible for the full fee. A charge will be made for missed appointments or late cancellations unless there are unusual circumstances. If you have cancelled a regularly scheduled appointment time, I will assume that you intend to keep your next scheduled session unless you notify me otherwise.
TELEPHONE CALLS
I ask for your cooperation in helping me maintain my schedule. Telephone calls between sessions should be limited to matters of importance. I will do my best to return your calls in a prompt manner. However, sometimes it is not possible to call back at a specifically requested time. If, between sessions, a problem should arise which needs considerable discussion or attention, it may be necessary to schedule an office visit in order to have adequate time to deal with the matter. Appropriate charges are made for extended telephone calls and consultations lasting more than 5 minutes.
PRESCRIPTIONS
Any prescription you receive should last until our next scheduled appointment. Prescriptions and refills should be obtained at the time of regularly scheduled office visits. There may be a small fee applied for prescriptions needing to be called in outside of regular appointment hours. Before requesting a refill of your prescription between appointments, please check to be sure refills do not already exist so as to not incur a fee. If not obtained at scheduled appointment times, prescription refills should be requested at least one week prior to the time needed and may be requested by calling my office Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Time requirements necessitate that I not call in refills or authorize them directly to pharmacies except in unusual or emergent circumstances.
PAYMENT OF FEES
PAYMENT IN FULL MUST OCCUR AT THE TIME OF THE VISIT in the form of cash, check, or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, or Discover). The only exception to this policy is if other arrangements have been made with me personally. Payments may be given to the receptionist or to me before or after the session. Please feel free to discuss with me any questions or problems you have regarding the payment of fees for professional services. Also note that the credit card section of the “Payment Authorization” form must be filled out completely. Charges to your card will only occur if payment is not made at the time of the visit or if events related to out-of-appointment times occur.
Fees are incurred for regular scheduled appointments, phone calls lasting more than five minutes, medication refills outside of scheduled appointment time, requested letters or other paperwork, time spent with school officials or visits, preauthorization for medications, missed appointments (per the office policy of 72 hour notification), returned checks, and time spent in collaboration with other health care providers or individuals within the circle of care.
INSURANCE
Please remember that your insurance is to reimburse you directly for fees paid to the physician and is not a substitute for payment of fees for services provided. In most cases, your statement contains all the information needed for you to submit your insurance claim. Health insurance contracts vary considerably, and in most cases I am not able to advise you regarding the extent of your coverage or what specific services are covered by your insurance contract.
While I may not be a panel provider on your insurance contract, many plans do reimburse for out-of-network providers. I suggest that you talk with your agent, carrier, or program representative to obtain the specific coverage information related to your contract. If I am asked to complete forms or contact managed care organizations for authorization purposes, it may, in some circumstances, be necessary to charge for time provided to the health care plan, and these charges will be assumed by the patient. If your insurance company does not make payment within 30 days from the time your claim is submitted, you should contact the carrier or agent to inquire about the delay.
AFTER HOURS AND EMERGENCY SITUATIONS
Non-emergent after hours messages may be left at my office number 919-903-9470. I will usually get back to you in 1-2 business days. When I am out of the office or not on-call, care for emergency situations will be provided by a competent colleague. Only in cases of extreme urgency am I available through the telephone number: 919-619-5224. If for any reason during an emergency you are unable to reach myself or the physician on-call, or if you feel that your issue can not wait, you should go directly to the nearest emergency room for further evaluation and treatment.