PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES Psychotherapy is not easily described in general statements. It varies depending on the personalities of the psychologist and patient, and the particular problems you hope to address. There are many different methods I may use to deal with those problems. Psychotherapy is not like a medical doctor visit. Instead, it calls for a very active effort on your part. In order for the therapy to be most successful, you will have to work on things we talk about both during our sessions and at home. Psychotherapy can have benefits and risks. Because therapy often involves discussing unpleasant aspects of your life, you may experience uncomfortable feelings like sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, and helplessness. When treating insomnia specifically, therapy might cause you to experience increased sleepiness and fatigue, especially in the early phases of treatment. On the other hand, psychotherapy has also been shown to have benefits for people who go through it. Therapy often leads to better relationships, solutions to specific problems, significant reductions in feelings of distress, improved sleep, and less fatigue. But there are no guarantees as to what you will experience. Our first session will involve an evaluation of your needs. By the end of the evaluation, I will be able to offer you some first impressions of what our work will include and a treatment plan to follow, if you decide to continue with me for therapy. You should evaluate this information along with your own opinions about whether you feel comfortable working with me. At the end of the evaluation, I will notify you if I believe that I am not the right therapist for you and if so, I will give you referrals to other practitioners who I believe are better suited to help you. Therapy involves a large commitment of time, money, and energy, so you should be very careful about the therapist you select. If you have questions about my procedures, we should discuss them whenever they arise. If your doubts persist, I will be happy to help you set up a meeting with another mental health professional for a second opinion. Please note that the psychological services I provide are not for emergency situations. For emergencies, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. FEES My fee is $395 for an initial evaluation lasting 90 minutes, and $250 for each subsequent psychotherapy session (either in-person or over the telephone) lasting 45 minutes. I charge this same $250 per 45-minutes rate for other professional services you may need, though I will prorate the cost if I work for periods of less than 45 minutes in increments of 15 minutes, rounded to the nearest 15-minute increment (e.g., 22 minutes of service will be charged for 15 minutes whereas 23 minutes of service will be charged for 30 minutes). Other professional services include telephone conversations or email responses lasting longer than 15 minutes, and the time spent performing any other service you may request of me. If you become involved in legal proceedings that require my participation, you will be expected to pay for any professional time I spend on your legal matter, even if the request comes from another party, at the same $250 per 45-minutes rate. I do not charge for time spent writing reports and progress notes as per the standard routine of my care of you. I also do not charge for any time I may spend collaborating with your other providers. From time to time, I may institute fee increases and these will be discussed and agreed upon ahead of time with a new Treatment Contract. If it has been more than one year since our last appointment, then you will re-initiate services at my current standard fee which may be higher than the fee you were previously paying. In addition, if it has been more than one year since our last appointment, you will be scheduled for another initial evaluation (90 minutes) and charged accordingly, with subsequent 45-minute psychotherapy sessions thereafter. INSURANCE REIMBURSEMENT You are responsible for paying your full session fee. I am not in-network with any insurance companies. If you decide to submit claims to your insurance company for reimbursement for any out-of-network benefits you might have, you may do so. However, be aware that the services provided will still be charged to you, not your insurance company, and you are responsible for the full payment. I have no role in deciding what your insurance covers. You are responsible for checking your insurance coverage, deductibles, payment rates, pre-authorization procedures, etc. Missed appointments, late cancellations (i.e., cancellations within 24 hours of service), and telephone session are not typically covered by insurance companies and therefore you will likely be responsible for the full session fee in these instances. If your insurance company doesn’t reimburse you, I am not responsible for refunding you any payment you expected to be reimbursed or otherwise. I will provide you a superbill after each session with the following information that you will need to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement for any out-of-network benefits you might have:
Prevention Care Services and Early Detection Services See Prevention and Early Detection Services section for details. 0% Not Covered Private Duty Nursing Services* Must be performed by a certified home health care agency. 0% - After deductible Not Covered
Disaster Services In the event of a local, state, or federal emergency, including natural, man- made, criminal, terrorist, and/or bioterrorism events, declared as a state disaster by the Governor, or a federal disaster by the appropriate federal official, Grantee may be called upon to assist the System Agency in providing the following services:
Anesthesia Services This plan covers general and local anesthesia services received from an anesthesiologist when the surgical procedure is a covered healthcare service. This plan covers office visits or office consultations with an anesthesiologist when provided prior to a scheduled covered surgical procedure.
Mastectomy Services Inpatient This plan provides coverage for a minimum of forty-eight (48) hours in a hospital following a mastectomy and a minimum of twenty-four (24) hours in a hospital following an axillary node dissection. Any decision to shorten these minimum coverages shall be made by the attending physician in consultation with and upon agreement with you. If you participate in an early discharge, defined as inpatient care following a mastectomy that is less than forty-eight (48) hours and inpatient care following an axillary node dissection that is less than twenty-four (24) hours, coverage shall include a minimum of one (1) home visit conducted by a physician or registered nurse.
Chiropractic Services This plan covers chiropractic visits up to the benefit limit shown in the Summary of Medical Benefits. The benefit limit applies to any visit for the purposes of chiropractic treatment or diagnosis.
Telemedicine Services This plan covers clinically appropriate telemedicine services when the service is provided via remote access through an on-line service or other interactive audio and video telecommunications system in accordance with R.I. General Law § 27-81-1. Clinically appropriate telemedicine services may be obtained from a network provider, and from our designated telemedicine service provider. When you seek telemedicine services from our designated telemedicine service provider, the amount you pay is listed in the Summary of Medical Benefits. When you receive a covered healthcare service from a network provider via remote access, the amount you pay depends on the covered healthcare service you receive, as indicated in the Summary of Medical Benefits. For information about telemedicine services, our designated telemedicine service provider, and how to access telemedicine services, please visit our website or contact our Customer Service Department.
Surgery Services and Mastectomy Related Treatment This plan provides benefits for mastectomy surgery and mastectomy-related services in accordance with the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998 and Rhode Island General Law 27-20-29 et seq. For the member receiving mastectomy-related benefits, coverage will be provided in a manner determined in consultation with the attending physician, physician assistant, or an advance practice registered nurse and the patient, for: • all stages of reconstruction of the breast on which the mastectomy was performed; • surgery and reconstruction of the other breast to produce a symmetrical appearance; • prostheses; and • treatment of physical complications at all stages of the mastectomy, including lymphedema. See the Summary of Medical Benefits for the amount you pay.
Counseling Services People choose to participate in counseling for a variety of reasons. For most, the purpose of counseling is to generally improve one’s overall quality of life by addressing issues of concern, such as anxiety, depression, marital difficulties, addiction, or grief. Individual experiences in counseling can be different, depending on factors such as the personalities of the client and therapist, the mode of counseling techniques that the therapist utilizes, the issue(s) being addressed, and the amount of effort that the client puts forth. Your initial sessions with Encourage Counseling Services will involve an evaluation of your needs. By the end of the evaluation, your therapist will be able to offer you some first impressions of what your work will include and a treatment plan to follow, if you decide to continue with therapy. You should evaluate this information along with your own opinions of whether you feel comfortable working with us. Therapy involves a commitment of time, money, and energy, so you should be very careful about the therapist you select. If you have questions about our procedures, you should discuss them with your therapist whenever they arise. If you wish, we will willingly provide you with referrals to other mental health professionals for a second opinion, as you always have the right to choose to continue to receive counseling services from us or to ask to be referred to someone else. Following the assessment period, which is typically one to two sessions, one 50-minute session will be scheduled per week. Sessions will occur at a time you and your therapist agree upon, although sessions may be scheduled more or less frequently according to your needs. It is important to note that if you are late to your appointment, your session will still end at the originally scheduled time. It should be noted that therapy can have benefits, as well as potential risks. Since therapy oftentimes involves discussing difficult aspects of your life, you may experience uncomfortable feelings such as sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, and helplessness. Making changes in your beliefs or behaviors can be anxiety provoking, and can be disruptive to your current relationships. However, therapy has also been shown to have many benefits. For example, therapy often leads to better relationships, solutions to specific problems, and significant reductions in feelings of distress. Of course, every individual’s experience is different and there are no guarantees of what you will experience. It is important that you carefully consider whether these risks are worth the benefits to you of changing. Most people who take these risks find that therapy is helpful. Finally, the therapeutic relationship is ended after the last scheduled appointment, or when so stated by you or your therapist. As the client, you typically will be the one who decides when therapy will end, which usually occurs once you and your therapist agree that you have met your treatment goals. However, there are a few exceptions. One such exception is if your therapist does not believe that he/she is professionally able to meet your needs. This could possibly be because your therapist does not believe that he/she holds the proper training and skills to help you, due to the type of presenting problem that you have. In such a situation your therapist will refer you to another therapist who may be able to meet your counseling needs.
Hospice Services Services are available for a Member whose Attending Physician has determined the Member's illness will result in a remaining life span of six months or less.
