Appointments
Initial evaluations are scheduled following a phone conversation with potential client. A credit card is used to reserve your time. Initial evaluations are typically either 120-minutes (adults) or 150-minutes (children and adolescents) in length. Depending on the complexity and/or family involvement, some adults may be scheduled for 150-minute evaluation. After the initial evaluation, follow-up appointments are either “Medication Management” (25-minutes) or “Therapy Sessions” (50-minutes). We will collaborate to develop a treatment plan that fits your individual needs, which may include therapy, medication management or both. At a minimum, on-going patients are seen every 3-4 months.
Payment of Fees
All fees are due the day of service and payable by cash, check or credit card (Visa, MasterCard or Discover). Checks should be made payable to “Blue Bell Psychiatry.” Please note that we cannot make partial charges to HSA/FSA accounts (e.g., a portion of service fee to HSA/FSA and then remaining fee to a credit card). If your HSA/FSA account is out of funds or only has partial funds, your credit card on file will be automatically charged for the entire service fee. If you are going to use an HSA/FSA account, you must provide a backup credit card on file. It is your responsibility to ensure that there is an adequate fund in your HSA/FSA account.
Accounts that are delinquent may be sent to collections. All patients are required to keep an active credit card on file (used for missed appointments, late cancellations, administrative work, letters & family conferences and as a backup to your HSA/FSA). If a patient misses two appointments, they will be required to prepay via credit card when scheduling. There are no changes to these policies, even when someone other than the patient is paying for visits. Additionally, paying for visits does not change confidentiality; a patient’s progress, medical record and any privileged information can still only be given with direct consent from the patient.
Medical Records
Providers at Blue Bell Psychiatry generally do not release patient evaluations, progress notes or therapy notes. A summary of care can be provided to patients and/or third parties upon request. Administrative fee will be charged.
Missed Appointments/Weather Policy/Cancellations
If you are unable to keep an appointment, please give 48 business hours advance notice, otherwise you will be charged for the time that was reserved for you. Insurance companies do not reimburse for missed appointment charges. You may cancel your appointment by either calling or emailing your provider. If you are late for an appointment, you will be seen for the remainder of your reserved time. You will be responsible for the full session fee (this includes initial visits).
We do not close due to weather, unless it is a State of Emergency. If you are going to miss a visit due to a pending weather condition, please notify your provider 48 business hours prior to your appointment to avoid the full appointment fee.
Medication Requests and Prescription Refills
Please request all prescription refills via e-mail to your provider. When requesting, please provide your pharmacy name and phone number, medication names and doses and your Date of Birth. Please note, prescriptions are called in Monday through Thursday between the hours of 9AM and 5PM. Please allow 24 to 48 business hours for the prescriptions to be called in. If you have not had an appointment within the last 3-4 months, please first set up a follow up appointment. Prescriptions for controlled substances including stimulants can only be prescribed for 30 days at a time.
Contacting Your Doctor or Providers
Patients will have access to our provider’s business phone and email address. E-mail is used for scheduling and cancelling appointments, prescription requests and administrative requests only. E-mail correspondences are added to the official medical record at provider’s discretion. Our providers can typically return calls and e-mails within 24-48 business hours. When patients call with questions that can be answered quickly, we do not charge any fees. If questions require a lengthy discussion (for example, medication changes), we will ask if you would like to schedule an office appointment. If we feel that a patient is abusing access to our phone or e-mail address, we will directly discuss it with them. If we cannot come to an agreement, this may result in a termination of care, at our discretion.
Social media is not an acceptable form of communication for current or former patients (no exceptions). Texting is never an appropriate form of communication. Our providers are not responsible for responding to any information sent via text.
Office Coverage
When your provider is out of the office and you have non-emergent issue, please leave a message via the Onpatient Portal or send an email to your provider. Your provider will return your message when he/she returns. For any emergent issues (such as an allergic reaction to medication or a suicide attempt), you must call either 911, 988 (suicide and crisis lifeline) or go to the nearest emergency room. Please note that while we have covering physicians for the office, they do not handle refills of controlled substances including stimulants and benzodiazepines. Patients are responsible for keeping their appointments and re-scheduling (if they cancel or miss an appointment) several weeks prior to running out of these medications.
Emergencies
If you have an emergency (such as an allergic reaction to medication or a suicide attempt), you must call 911, 988 (suicide and crisis lifeline) or go to your nearest emergency room. This is a requirement, as we are not able to be available at all times and emergencies require immediate attention. After doing so, please contact your provider so that they may help facilitate the care.