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. 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. 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:
Psychologists Psychologists hired by the Employer, with no prior years of experience as a school psychologist, teacher, or prior years of military service shall be placed on Step 1 of the salary schedule effective July 1, 1990. Credit for combined years of prior experience as a school psychologist, teacher, and active military service experience shall be allowed at a rate of one (1) year for each twelve (12) months of continuous service up to a maximum of eight (8) years, as per credit requirements in Salary guidelines. Retroactive to the 2000 – 2001 school year, for new school psychologists, credit for combined years of prior experience as a school psychologist, teacher, and active military service experience shall be allowed at a rate of one (1) year for each twelve
Community Based Adult Intensive Service (AIS) and Child and Family Intensive Treatment (CFIT) – AIS/CFIT programs offer services primarily based in the home and community for qualifying adults and children with moderate- to-severe mental health conditions. These programs consist at a minimum of ongoing emergency/crisis evaluations, psychiatric assessment, medication evaluation and management, case management, psychiatric nursing services, and individual, group, and family therapy. This plan covers individual psychotherapy, group psychotherapy, and family therapy when rendered by: • Psychiatrists; • Licensed Clinical Psychologists; • Licensed Independent Clinical Social Workers; • Advance Practice Registered Nurses (Clinical Nurse Specialists/Nurse Practitioners- Behavioral Health); • Licensed Mental Health Counselors; and • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists. This plan covers psychological testing as a behavioral health benefit when rendered by: • neuropsychologists; • psychologists; or • pediatric neurodevelopmental specialists. This plan covers neuropsychological testing as described in the Tests, Labs and Imaging section.
Staffing There shall be a clinician employed by the outside contractor for EAP Services who will be on-site a minimum of 20 hours a week. The clinician shall report directly to the outside contractor, Peer Assistance Oversight Committee and the MIF liaison. There shall be three full-time Peer Assistants reporting to the outside contractor.
Ambulance Escort Where a nurse is assigned to provide patient care for a patient in transit, the following provisions shall apply:
i) Where a full-time nurse performs such duties during her or his regular shift, the full-time nurse shall be paid her or his regular rate of pay. Where a full-time nurse performs such duties outside her or his regular shift or on a day off, she or he shall be paid the appropriate overtime rate.
ii) Where a part-time nurse performs such duties during an assigned shift, she or he shall be paid her or his regular rate of pay. Where a part-time nurse continues to perform such duties in excess of her or his assigned shift, she or he shall be paid the appropriate overtime rate.
(b) Where such duties extend beyond the nurse's regular shift, the Hospital will not require the nurse to return to regular duties at the hospital without at least eight (8) hours of time off. Where such time off extends into the nurse's next regularly scheduled shift she or he will maintain her or his regular earnings for that full shift.
(c) Hours spent between the time the nurse is relieved of patient care responsibilities and the time the nurse returns to the hospital or to such other location agreed upon between the Hospital and the nurse will be paid at straight time or at appropriate overtime rates, if applicable under Article 14.
01. It is understood that the nurse shall return to the hospital or to such other location agreed upon between the Hospital and the nurse at the earliest opportunity. Prior to the nurse's departure on escort duty, or at such other time as may be mutually agreed upon between the Hospital and the nurse, the Hospital will establish with the nurse arrangements for return travel.
(d) The nurse shall be reimbursed for reasonable out of pocket expenses including room, board and return transportation and consideration will be given to any special circumstances not dealt with under the foregoing provisions. NOTE 1: (Note 1 applies to full-time nurses only) The Hospital agrees to continue to pay any greater monetary benefit for ambulance escort duty if such greater benefit has been paid by the Hospital immediately prior to this Agreement. This note applies at Hospitals where this superior condition exists as of December 14, 1987. NOTE 2: (Note 2 applies to part-time nurses only) The Hospital agrees to continue to pay any greater monetary benefit for ambulance escort duty if such greater benefit was paid by the Hospital under a Collective Agreement immediately prior to this Agreement. This note applies at Hospitals where this superior condition exists as of December 14, 1987.
Minimum Staffing The Employer agrees to employ sufficient registered staff and health care aides/ Personal Support Workers to meet the staffing needs that may be set from time to time by statute and/or regulation. In the event that there is insufficient staffing to meet this undertaking, the Employer will post vacancies so that any unmet care undertaking will be satisfied.
(a) The Employer will assign at least the same number of total bargaining unit RN hours that are equal to those hours that were scheduled in the last week ending prior to June 30, 2009. For clarity, this includes existing vacancies.
(b) In the event the Employer cannot meet their ongoing obligation for scheduled RN hours in part (a) above, it shall so notify the Union and fully disclose the reasons thereof.
(c) If the failure to staff is a legitimate recruitment issue, there shall be no violation of this Agreement. The Employer will make reasonable efforts to recruit a replacement and will provide the Union with an outline of recruitment activities.
(d) Further, if there is a reduction in beds, occupancy levels or CMI or its equivalent below the levels in effect as of June 30, 2009, a reduction in the complement shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement, as long as the reduction is proportionate.
(e) If there is any other reason for the failure to staff in accordance with this article, the Union and Employer will attempt to find a resolution and if unable to do so, the matter may be referred to Arbitration.
(f) The Arbitrator/Arbitration Board will have authority to determine whether the reduction in staffing was appropriate and shall have jurisdiction to award an appropriate remedy.
Orthodontics We Cover orthodontics used to help restore oral structures to health and function and to treat serious medical conditions such as: cleft palate and cleft lip; maxillary/mandibular micrognathia (underdeveloped upper or lower jaw); extreme mandibular prognathism; severe asymmetry (craniofacial anomalies); ankylosis of the temporomandibular joint; and other significant skeletal dysplasias.
Inpatient If you are an inpatient in a general or specialty hospital for mental health services, this agreement covers medically necessary hospital services and the services of an attending physician for the number of hospital days shown in the Summary of Medical Benefits. See Section
Radiation Therapy/Chemotherapy Services This plan covers chemotherapy and radiation services. This plan covers respiratory therapy services. When respiratory services are provided in your home, as part of a home care program, durable medical equipment, supplies, and oxygen are covered as a durable medical equipment service.
Clinical Management for Behavioral Health Services (CMBHS) System
1. request access to CMBHS via the CMBHS Helpline at (000) 000-0000.
2. use the CMBHS time frames specified by System Agency.
3. use System Agency-specified functionality of the CMBHS in its entirety.
4. submit all bills and reports to System Agency through the CMBHS, unless otherwise instructed.