If you are in a mental health crisis/emergency, contact the Crisis Clinic at (866-427-4747) or go to your nearest Emergency Room. If you are having difficulty managing feelings between sessions, we need to talk during your appointment time about a safety plan and a contact plan (who you can contact for support, ways to manage your feelings); or discuss enrollment in a DBT group or other support group. If the level of care that I am able to provide in my practice is not a good fit for your mental health needs, we will discuss this and I may refer you to a different type of setting.
Medication: If you are having a medication problem, it is important to let me know, so please message me with your concerns. My scheduling site is a confidential way to reach me. https://live.vcita.com/site/amandapbailey. Inform me of any and all medications you are taking, and update me if you start any other medications during your course of treatment with me. I do not prescribe benzodiazepines such as Xanax or Klonipin on an on-going basis. If you come to me on these, we will be working to taper you down, and off, this medication.
*IMPORTANT: If I don’t get back to you within 24 hours, try again. I will never ignore your message if you have a concern or need something, but it’s possible to miss an email or forget to reply, so don’t hesitate to message again if you haven’t heard from me.
One provider for mental health medications: Please see only me for mental health medications. Do not get medications for anxiety, sleep, mood, ADHD, or any other mental health problem from other providers, including your primary care provider.
Expectations for follow up: I will only refill medications if you have attended follow up appointments as recommended. If you have not done so and you need a medication refill, you may schedule an appointment and I will order enough medication to get you through until your next appointment, if it is safe to do so; and you will incur a $20 charge for refills outside of appointments (only if you have not followed up with an appointment as recommended.) If you have not been in for 12 or more weeks, I will not order refills and care may be terminated. Consistent failure to follow up as recommended, or multiple no-shows or late cancellations may result in termination of care. Likewise, if we have not met in 6 months or more, care will automatically be terminated and you must contact me to see if you may schedule an appointment.
Medication refills: Please ask me for refills when we are together in an appointment. I will try to ensure that you have enough refills to get you to your next follow up visit, but if this doesn’t happen, contact me directly for refills. If there is a problem with the pharmacy or your prescription, always let me know. *I do not refill based on pharmacy requests, so contact me directly, allowing 24 hours for me to respond. Please allow 48 business hours for refills.
Financial Policies
In order for me to bill your insurance, I am required to give your insurance company a diagnosis code. This diagnosis will be a part of your record with your insurance company, even after you discontinue services with me. Although this is similar to insurance billing for physical medical issues, it is important that you understand that it limits the confidentiality of our sessions. As such, please initial that you understand this limit, and that all other rules and laws of confidentiality apply (see disclosure statement and attached pamphlet outlining laws pertaining to mental health treatment.)
Billing your insurance is a courtesy and you are responsible for any amount unpaid by your insurance company for any reason. The regular fee for service is variable and depends on the service as well as medical complexity; this is the amount you are responsible for in the event that, for any reason, your insurance does not pay the claim submitted. I will provide a list of codes with prices upon request.
If you do not attend a scheduled appointment and do not give the required 48-hour notice, your insurance cannot be billed for the missed appointment and you are responsible to pay a $90 session fee for the missed appointment, within 10 days of the missed appointment. If payment is not received within 10 days of the missed appointment, no additional appointments will be scheduled. I reserve the right to terminate services if there are more than two no-shows in 12 months.
I will assist you by billing your insurance company; however, I do not call ahead for pre-authorization or any other insurance questions. Please contact your insurance provider to ask if I am a preferred provider; if pre-authorization is required; what your co-payment amount is; and if your sessions will be subject to a deductible prior to our first session, as I do not provide this service.
If you have more than one insurance (primary and secondary) you must contact these companies and verify which is primary prior to our first appointment. I do not coordinate these benefits and I’m unable to bill insurance without this information. If there is any problem or delay in collecting payment, you will be asked to pay the full amount until insurance reimburses.
Please pay any amount due in a timely manner. Fees may be imposed for payments more than 30 days late. For balances more than 30 days overdue, I reserve the right to utilize a collection agency to recover payment, and delinquency may be reported to a credit bureau. Additionally, services and care may be terminated.
Because charges for appointments vary by medical code used, I do not know what the exact charge for your appointment will be at the time of the appointment. If you are paying out-of-pocket because of out-of-network insurance, or a high deductible, I will charge based on the following, and then adjust once coding is determined and/or insurance pays or offers an explanation of benefits: First appointment, $240; follow-up 25 minutes, $125; follow-up 50 minutes, $180. If you are using out-of network insurance or have a high-deductible plan, you will be required to pay at the time of the appointment.
It is the patient’s responsibility to verify coverage for telehealth visits prior to any telehealth sessions. Any amount not covered by insurance will be billed to the patient.
I will generally copy and send/transmit records directly to other providers free of charge for continuity of care. If a record is requested for any other reason, I charge $22 for the first 20 pages and .50 per page after the first 20.