Island Psychiatry Office Policies

Payment:

Island Psychiatry is a fee-for-service out-of-network group practice. The cost of each session is due at the time of service.

 

Out-Of-Network Insurance Claim Submission and Reimbursement:

If your health insurance plan includes out-of-network benefits for mental health services, you may request that Island Psychiatry submit electronic claims for fully paid dates of service on your behalf as a courtesy. If you would like your potential mental health out of network benefits analyzed at the start of your treatment, you will provide a copy of your insurance card to office staff for review. If, based on the Billing Department's analysis of the plan, you are unlikely to receive reimbursement, Island Psychiatry will not submit claims on your behalf. You may request superbills at anytime for any held sessions which you can use to submit your own claims.

 

Our billing team instructs all insurance companies to send reimbursement checks directly to the patient. In the case that an insurance company sends payment to Island Psychiatry (by way of clerical error or otherwise) we will automatically apply the amount as a credit to your account.

 

Please note: if upon submission, an insurance company does not pay out on claims to the patient's satisfaction; it is not Island Psychiatry's responsibility to negotiate with the insurance company. Claim disputes are the responsibility of the patient alone.

 

Certain insurance companies may require authorization requests or other forms/appeals to be sent before releasing certain benefits to members. It is the responsibility of the patient to alert the office of these conditions and any expirations associated. 

 

Patients must alert Island Psychiatry that they would like claims submitted on their behalf before applicable filing period closings. Failure to alert the office of insurance claim submission requests may result in late filing claim rejections.

 

It is the patient's responsibility to alert the practice if your insurance information changes at any time.

 

Payment Information on File:

Prior to scheduling an appointment, patients must provide credit card information to be placed on file. Payment is customarily withdrawn by Island Psychiatry within 48 hours of the provided service. Once credit card information is stored, patients retain the option of paying by cash or check at in person appointments.  

 

Cash Discount:

Beginning January 2024, all payments made by cash or check will earn 3% 'Cash Discount' on the invoice. Cash or check payments are only applicable for in office visits and must be made at the time of service. 

 

Responsible Party

Patients 18 years of age and older without a legal guardian are responsible for managing their own care at Island Psychiatry. This includes scheduling, prescription and form requests, billing matters, payments, and all other aspects of care. Patients 18 years of age and older without a legal guardian may sign over the handling of aspects of their account by completing a HIPAA release form to be placed on file.

 

Form Completion and Letter Writing:

Patients are responsible to pay form/letter writing fees as set at an hourly rate by our office. Costs may vary by the clinician and the nature of the materials requested. Completed documents will be released when payment is remitted. Typically forms take 21 business days to complete. If forms or letters are needed sooner than 21 business days, our office will provide a quote of what the expedited service will cost.

 

Intensive Collaboration / Care Coordination / Session Length Fees:

By either patient request, or a clinician's determination, collaboration with an outside professional (i.e. social worker, teacher, physician etc.) may be necessary. Collaboration with other professionals may incur a fee at the Island Psychiatry clinician's hourly rate.

 

Phone calls with patient's family members will also be charged at the clinician's hourly rate.

 

If a session is extended (in real time) beyond the planned appointment length, the fees charged will reflect the actual time spent with the clinician.

 

Urgent Appointments:

Island Psychiatry is an 'appointment only' practice and does not have the capabilities of a walk-in clinic. Patients are responsible to pay for urgent or 'last minute' appointments at hourly rates set by our office. Costs may vary by the clinician, length and complexity of the appointment. Urgent appointments are charged at a higher rate than regular appointments. 

 

If, in between regularly scheduled appointments a phone call with the clinician takes place, the invoice will be created using appropriate medical coding (based on length/complexity) and charged accordingly.

 

Urine Screenings and Drug Testing:

Clinicians may request urine toxicology screenings or any other form of drug testing at any time during treatment. The associated cost is the responsibility of the patient and payment is collected on the day of the screening.

 

Follow Up Session; Frequency and Length:

The length and frequency of follow up sessions are recommended by the providing clinician. Follow up session frequency and/or length are generally consistent. However, both are continuously subject to change based on the clinician's professional determination, as are any costs associated. Island Psychiatry is committed to providing the highest quality of care in the most cost effective manner possible. The duration and frequency of appointments are an important aspect of this, and we encourage you to speak to your clinician regarding these matters.

 

Late Cancellations / Missed Appointments:

Island Psychiatry does not double book appointments. The appointment time scheduled under the patient name is reserved for them alone. As such, late cancellations or missed appointments will incur a fee to the patient as follows:

 

Late Cancellations: An appointment that is cancelled less than 48 hours before the scheduled appointment time constitutes a 'Late Cancellation.' The patient will be charged 50% of the full service fee.

 

Missed Appointment ("No Shows"): If a patient misses an appointment and does not notify the office, this constitutes a "No Show." The patient will be responsible for the full cost of the appointment.

 

Prescription Refills and Fees:

At the time of your appointment you will be provided with a prescription of medication sufficient to last you until your next visit. Prescribers at Island Psychiatry send prescriptions that align with the recommended clinical scheduling plan. If for any reason you need medication prescribed outside your scheduled visit, there will be an administrative fee. Lost prescriptions, failure to schedule within your recommended treatment plan, discounts at particular pharmacies, failure to check for refills or prescriptions already sent, and/or use of the medication not in accordance with the clinician's recommendation are the most common reasons for this type of request.

 

Please allow 2-4 business days to process your request. Patients may request an expedited prescription for an additional fee. Requests for urgent prescriptions over the weekend entail paging clinicians outside of the office and will also incur additional fees.

 

Prescription refill requests sent from pharmacies will not be filled by our office. All refill requests must be ordered by the patient directly.   

 

Scheduling:

It is the patient's responsibility to schedule follow up appointments as recommended by their clinician. It is recommended that this be done during check out at in-office appointments. In the case of virtual sessions, it is the patient's responsibility to reach out by text, email or phone and schedule their follow up as soon as possible. Patients are expected to schedule their appointments according to their clinician's recommended treatment plan. Patients that are not in compliance with their treatment plan may require a new patient evaluation.

 

Outstanding balances are required to be paid before the scheduling of follow up appointments.   

 

Prior authorizations:

Prior Authorizations may be requested by insurance companies to allow for your medications, or certain services, to be covered. Along with many of our industry colleagues, our office feels these requests do nothing but interfere with providing quality mental health care. We believe it is a transparent attempt to place an unnecessary barrier between the clinician and patient in an attempt to restrict care and increase insurance company profits. While we continue to urge health insurance companies to abandon this practice, our office must cover the additional administrative costs associated with the process of completing prior authorization requests by charging a fee to the patient.  

 

Care Continuation Notice:

If a patient's prescribing clinician leaves or becomes no longer affiliated with Island Psychiatry, we will make our best effort to continue care at our offices. However, in the case that we do not have the clinical resources to provide a new clinician, we will provide a referral list at discharge.  

 

Prepayment Policy Contingency and Notice:

In certain cases we will require prepayment in order to schedule. The reasons are (but not limited too:) frequent cancellations (even ones outside of 48 hours), excessive and/or inappropriate demands on administrative staff, consistent failure to abide by your clinicians treatment plan (including lack of adherence to appointment frequency as agreed upon with your clinician,) frequent billing and or scheduling difficulties such as failure to pay at the time of service or bounced payment cards and/or checks, and for any other reason as determined by Island Psychiatry's discretion.

 

Prepayments are nonrefundable save cancellations due to a doctor certified medical emergency.

  

Respectful Conduct

Island Psychiatry is committed to maintaining a safe, respectful, and healthy environment for both our patients and staff. Our office will not accept or tolerate any form of disrespectful or rude behavior. Any patient engaging in such conduct towards our staff members will be subject to immediate evaluation, and may be discharged from our practice.

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