Doctor Patient Relationship
I become your or your child’s psychiatrist when a mutual agreement is made to work together after the initial evaluation is complete. This evaluation process can take up to three appointments to accomplish. This relationship is a professional, cooperative partnership in which we both have responsibilities to work toward agreed-upon goals. Because of the nature of psychiatric treatment and my practice, a patient must be seen at least every three (3) months.
Payment
Payment is due at the time of service. Cash, personal checks, debit cards, and credit cards (Visa, MC, Discover) are accepted. I am unable to make change. There is a $25 charge for returned checks.
Insurance
I do not file or bill insurance. I will provide you with a “superbill” receipt to assist you in your filing for any available reimbursements with your insurance company. Your insurance carrier can provide specific information about reimbursement for my services.
Missed Appointments
There is a charge for appointments missed, cancelled, or changed with less than 24 working hours of notice. Unlike most doctors’ offices, I do not over book or double book appointments. The time you are scheduled for is fully yours. Please notify me promptly if you cannot make your appointment, so that I can offer the time to another patient. I allow one unbilled late cancellation or no-show per year if it is due to an emergency.
Emergencies
If you have an immediate life and death emergency, call 911 or go promptly to an Emergency Room or Urgent Care Center for assistance.
Phone Calls
During office hours, I will return calls as possible between patients. I will make a strong effort to return all patient calls on the day received (please be sure I have your current contact numbers) and at least by the end of the working day. Please do not hesitate to call back.
Prescription Refills
My routine practice is to write a prescription(s) to cover your needs until your next appointment. There should be no need for additional refills if you keep scheduled appointments or reschedule promptly. If an exception occurs, please call during business hours, at least two working days before you will run out, and ask for the refill. I will provide refills during business hours, for active patients with scheduled follow-up appointments. Patients are generally seen at least monthly at first, up to every two months when well established, and occasionally up to every three months. Persons not seen in over four months are not considered active or current patients. Medication changes generally require appointments so that risks and benefits can be adequately discussed. Controlled substances, such as stimulants, cannot be refilled by phone and will not be rewritten except during an appointment.
Records
Psychiatric records contain a great deal of material that is extremely private and is not necessary for outside purposes. As such, rather than copies of a patient's confidential records, I will provide a summary document that discusses the initial evaluation, course of treatment, current treatment, and any recommendations. I charge my normal hourly rate for the time involved in preparing this resport. A completed, signed release of information is required. Preparation of a clinical or forensic report is a separate matter, and specific charges may apply.
HIPAA
HIPAA is a federal law to improve privacy and electronic transactions for billing and records. Because I do not perform such electronic transactions, signing HIPAA forms and notices is not required. My practice meets or exceeds HIPAA privacy standards.