OFFICE POLICIES
PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATIONS:
NEW PATIENTS
New patient appointments are typically between 45-60 minutes and are completed with a Psychiatrist, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, or Physician Assistant. This 45-60 minute time frame includes the evaluation, vitals, drug screens, additional testing, etc. For this reason, all new patient appointments must be in-person; we cannot see you via Telehealth for your first visit.
Only psychiatric medications and symptoms will be discussed in the appointment. Very brief supportive psychotherapy can be done or not at all, depending on patient acuity.
If your new patient appointment is for the completion of FMLA or Disability paperwork, you must be established with our practice and consistent with treatment for at least three months before this can be done. In addition, paperwork will only be completed during a scheduled appointment solely for this purpose.
FOLLOW-UPS
Medication management follow-ups are between 15-30 minutes, depending on the severity of symptoms. Patients on controlled medications must be seen in office every 3 months for a drug screen, or their medications will not be refilled.
SCHEDULING / CALL VOLUME
The office receives and delivers a large volume of calls / messages daily. As a result, the office has a 3 business day policy on returning messages. To uphold quality of care and fairness to all, providers cannot take time from patient appointments to accept or return patient phone calls.
Office staff are available to speak with you about questions and/or concerns, which will then be presented to your provider for review. This is the fastest and most efficient way to communicate with your provider outside of appointments. If you still feel that you must speak directly with your provider, we will make every effort to get you an earlier appointment.
The scheduling of an appointment involves the reservation of your provider's time, specifically for you. It is the patient/guardians responsibility to schedule the next appointment.
If you need to cancel or change your appointment, please inform us at least 24 hours in advance. Cancellations and re-scheduled visits will be subject to a $50 charge if not received at least 24 hours in advance. This is necessary because a time commitment is made to you and is held exclusively for you.
PRESCRIPTION REFILLS &
PRIOR AUTHORIZATIONS
Our clinic will only refill prescriptions at the time of a scheduled appointment. We do not respond to fax requests for prescriptions refills.
Please be proactive in monitoring the need for refills. Scheduling a follow-up with your provider will be difficult when the office is provided short notice. It is recommended that you schedule immediately after your last appointment or at least 2-3 weeks prior to your next appointment.
Medications may require a prior authorization with your insurance company if there is a denial of coverage. The prior authorization process requires our office to complete the designated form (it is by no means a guarantee that we can influence their policies to allow for the medication to be approved).
We are notified by the pharmacy in most of these cases. Once we are contacted by the pharmacy, we will begin the process. If this is the case, it could be between 7-10 business days before this can be completed and there is no assurance it will be approved. We will do our best to provide either samples or substitutes as necessary.
LATE POLICY
Our late policy is up to 15 minutes for new patient appointments and up to 5 minutes for follow-up visits. Once the alotted time has expired, you will need to contact the office and reschedule your appointment.
Late cancellation fees are NOT billed to insurance or EAP companies; they are the sole financial responsibility of the client. If you cannot attend an appointment, please remember to cancel or reschedule 24 hours in advance.
You will be responsible for the $50 cancellation fee if you cancel your scheduled appointment less than 24 hours of the session or if you do not make it to your appointment within the time frame stated above.
Because of connectivity issues we have no control over, sometimes it is best to choose a phone call, over a Telehealth, for your follow-up. This minimizes the risk of having to reschedule a visit because of WiFi/connectivity issues.
FEES & OTHER FINANCIAL
RESPONSIBILITES
Co-pays and outstanding balances are due prior to services rendered. Appointments may be rescheduled in the event that a balance has accrued on your account.
Letters/Forms/Completed Paperwork for outside agencies: $75
Copies of Medical Records for Personal Requests
$0.07 per page, plus a fee of no more than $50
Copies of Medical Records for Third Party Requests:
$0.65 per page, up to 30 pages, $0.50 per additional page thereafter
Drug Screening: It is our policy to conduct periodic drug screens. Drug screens are collected via oral swab. We utilize a third party company, Aegis Labs, to conduct our drug screens. For any billing concerns regarding drug screens, please call (866) 496-7052.