Our Policies

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE MAKING APPOINTMENT

• Our practice provides medication management services when determined to be the correct course of treatment by the provider.
• We do prescribe stimulants (Adderall, Vyvanse, etc.) for patients diagnosed with ADHD who receiving care in the state of Kansas.  If you are prescribed a stimulant, you are required to have a monthly appointment with the provider.
• We do prescribe benzodiazepines such as Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, Valium, Ambien etc. on a limited and case-by-case basis when determined to be the correct course of treatment by the provider. If you are currently taking these medications and wish to stop, we can work with you to safely discontinue their use over a period of time. If you are prescribed a benzodiazepine, you are required to have an appointment every 3 months at minimum.
• We do not provide crisis management. In the event of an emergency or life-threatening situation during or outside of our normal business hours, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.

APPOINTMENTS

• You must complete all new patient paperwork before you will be scheduled for your first appointment.
• You are required to have a valid credit card on file. This card will be utilized for private pay clients and for any co-pays, co-insurance or deductibles that are not captured via Alma or covered by your insurance. We utilize our electronic health record system (IntakeQ) that is HIPAA and PCI Compliant.
• Please provide us with at least 48-hour notice of appointment cancelation or rescheduling. This allows us to offer your spot to someone on the wait list.
• Unless specifically prohibited by a third-party payer (insurance company, government program, etc.) all clients will be charged a $150 fee for the initial intake appointment, and $75 for follow up appointments, if they fail to show up for, cancel with less than 48 business hours notice, or show up more than ten minutes late. Monday appointments are required to be canceled/rescheduled by the Friday prior to the appointment, by no later than the same time the appointment is scheduled for (a 10:00am appointment on Monday must be canceled no later than 10:00am the Friday before).
• This fee is charged regardless of the reason for your no show, late arrival, late cancellation (including illness, family emergency, vehicle difficulties, etc.). This fee will be charged to your credit card on file, if required, within 24 hours. In the event you do not have a credit card on file, an invoice will be sent to you.
• In emergency circumstances requiring changes to your appointment, please contact our office immediately. We will make every effort to accommodate any requests. However, we cannot guarantee immediate rescheduling of missed appointments.
• Repeated missed appointments without notification may cause you to be discharged from the practice so that we can provide care to others.

REQUESTS FOR MEDICAL RECORDS

• All information on your chart is strictly confidential. A Release of Information (ROI) must be signed to have your patient records sent to another health care provider. If you are requesting that your records sent to another provider, we ask that you provide us with their name, address, phone number, and fax number.

PRESCRIPTIONS AND REFILLS

• Our policy on medication is intended to maximize patients’ health and safety.
• Requests for changes in medications must be handled during a scheduled office visit. Refills on existing prescriptions are best to be handled during your scheduled office visit. Please bring your medication lists with you to each appointment. Our provider will typically provide prescriptions to last until the next scheduled appointment. We urge you to schedule your follow-up appointment before you conclude your visit so that you do not run out of your medications. In situations where you must cancel your scheduled appointment for a valid reason, the provider may provide a bridge refill for 30 days as a one-time courtesy. This refill request outside of a scheduled appointment is subject to a $50 fee at the discretion of the provider. It may seem inconvenient, but best practice is to manage medications at the time of visit. We want to ensure that you are doing well, and you are getting the correct medications at the correct dose for your health condition.
• The frequency of visits will be determined between you and the provider based on severity and complexity of your situation, current symptoms, types of medication being prescribed, and availability of additional support such as family, friends, or therapist. The frequency of visits can range from once a month or more (if needed) for the first few months until you achieve stability and improved well-being, to once every 3 months once all necessary visits, labs, and reports are up to date. The provider may then provide prescriptions for up to a maximum of 90 days (for non-controlled substance medications) at their discretion. Widely accepted community standards of care require that a patient is evaluated by a medical professional at least once every 90 days to receive psychotropic medication. If a patient has not been evaluated in 3 months, a follow up visit will be required to verify medication needs. Multiple no-shows or cancellations may lead to a denial of your refill request until you are evaluated during a scheduled appointment.
• Controlled substance medications require a monthly visit. No automatic refill is given on controlled medications. PDMP will be checked at each refill and periodic urine drug screen is required.
• Please keep up with your supply of medication to avoid running out. We are not equipped to handle emergent needs, so please plan ahead.
• If you are on a non-addictive medication, please request refills when you have at least 3 days worth of medications at hand to avoid running out. Before you request a medication refill, contact your pharmacy, and ask them if refills are available. Often refills are authorized, you simply have to ask the pharmacy to fill the prescription. 

FMLA AND DISABILITY

• We do not provide a one-time psychiatric evaluation for employment, medical clearance, disability, or legal matters, etc. Although not guaranteed, we will consider evaluation on a case-by-case basis for established patients (6 months minimum & up to discretion of the provider). When it is necessary for our provider to fill out STD/FMLA forms, we will be glad to discuss with you. However, an appointment must be scheduled.
• Each form submitted, and/or medical record reviews, and interactions with outside agencies requiring significant attention outside of the scheduled appointment times, will be subject to a prorated rate of $300/hour in 15-minute increments. This payment is required prior to submission. This DOES NOT include activities such as interacting with other providers directly involved in your care, and performing routine duties such as medication refills, authorization requests, and return of patient phone calls.

*If you have any questions or require further clarification regarding our office policies, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Your understanding and compliance with these guidelines are pivotal in maintaining your health and safety.