Good Faith Estimate
As a completely out of network practice, I aim to be transparent about my rates so my clients are completely aware of their financial obligations and can plan for the costs of working with me.
At the beginning of our working relationship, you will receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your mental health care will cost.
Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the expected charges for medical services, including psychotherapy services.
You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency healthcare services, including psychotherapy services. You can ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule a service.
If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.
I will also cover this information in our consultation to answer any questions you may have.
For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises..
What are your fees?
The fee for individual sessions is $165 for 45 minutes. I see a limited number of couples for $225 for a 50 minute session. Payment is expected at the beginning of each session. I take credit cards through Ivy Pay which is a confidential and HIPAA protected app.
Cancellation Policy
Therapy appointments are scheduled weekly, especially in the beginning weeks of treatment. Sessions are scheduled with me directly. You must inform me of any cancellations at least 24 hours in advance by calling 571-635-5855 and leaving a voicemail or emailing [email protected] to avoid any charges.
Failure to cancel a session without providing 24 hours advance notice will result in a missed session fee of $75 per missed appointment. I keep the fee lower than the full session rate and apply it to all late cancellations to remove myself from determining acceptable reasons for a miss. Please note that this fee is not covered by insurance and is subject to change.
If you cancel within an hour of the appointment time, “no show,” or forget about an appointment, the full fee will apply and will be billed to your credit card on file. I reserve your time for you and cannot rebook that time when there is a “no show” and I am sitting and waiting for you to arrive. Therefore, I must charge my full fee.
Please be on time for your appointments. Your session starts at the time scheduled and ends no later than 50 minutes after your start time. If you are late, please understand that I must end the session as scheduled so that I can complete administrative tasks and start on time for the next client. Payment for services is an important part of any professional relationship. It shows that you value your healing and personal development.
Insurance
At this time, I am not contracted with any insurance companies. If you are filing for out of network benefits with an insurance company I can provide you with a superbill to submit to your health plan for reimbursement. If you are using health insurance to cover all or a portion of the cost of treatment, please know that insurance providers require a mental health diagnosis and that services be “medically necessary” to use your benefits. There are many reasons to come to therapy and not all could arguably be considered “medically necessary.” Please consider this before deciding to use your insurance. In addition to requiring a diagnostic code, your insurance company is also provided with your service dates, and may inquire about your treatment progress as a matter of determining eligibility for payment. Insurance does not pay for missed appointments or late cancellations.
When thinking about insurance, you might want to consider the fact that many managed care companies make determinations of whether or not continued mental health treatment is necessary and therefore coverable, all without ever meeting you or your therapist. Also, for insurance to cover therapy, it is required that you be given a psychiatric diagnosis. I am happy to discuss the process with you in greater detail directly as insurance policies and processes can be confusing and overwhelming.
Do you take insurance, and how does that work?
I’m not on any insurance panels, but we can navigate this. I am happy to provide you with a form you can send in to your insurance for possible reimbursement. That means you’re responsible for the fees at the time of our appointment and, depending on your plan, a certain percentage of that may be reimbursed to you by your insurance company.
I encourage you to call the number on the back of your insurance card to find out what your “out-of-network” benefits are just so there aren’t any scary financial surprises. You will want to ask them:
What are my “out-of-network” benefits for counseling/therapy?
Often it is a percentage of an “allowed amount.” Ask them what the allowed amount is, because if they are reimbursing you 50%, that’s great, but 50% of an allowed amount of $80 is a lot less than 50% of my fee of $145-$185.
Ask them where to send what’s called a “Superbill,” that’s the form I’ll give you. I’ll give you everything you need for that, you just need the address or fax number.
Do you provide a Good Faith Estimate?
In compliance with the No Surprises Act passed in October 2021 by the Federal Government of the United States I do provide a Good Faith Estimate when you start services with me, upon any changes to your services and upon your request.
What is the Good Faith Estimate?
A good faith estimate is a notification of expected charges for a scheduled or requested item or service, including items or services that are reasonably expected to be provided in conjunction with such scheduled or requested services in this case your individual or couples counseling. The expected charge for an item or service rate is established by a provider for an uninsured or self-pay patient.
