Office Policies & Procedures for Psychiatric Treatment
1. Confidentiality:
Communications are confidential and generally no information will be released without your consent, except for the following situations: By law, I am required to report suspected child or elder abuse, domestic violence, and take action when a patient is considered to be a danger to themselves or others. In addition, while no patient identifying information is shared, I do, on occasion obtain professional consultation for my cases.
2. General Policy:
Please be on time for your appointment.
Payment is due at the conclusion of every session. I accept Cash, Personal Checks, Master Card, and Visa.
Checks returned by the bank will be charged a $35 fee. Accounts with balances more than 30 days past due will be charged 1.5% interest per month. Accounts with balances more than 3 months past due will be turned over to a collection agency and reported to credit bureaus.
A credit card will be held on file to guarantee payment but will not be charged without notification.
3. Medication Prescriptions & Refill Procedures:
Insurance companies allow only a 30 day supply of medication unless you use a mail away prescription plan, for which you will receive a prescription for whatever is the maximum amount allowed (usually two or three months).
Please anticipate any refill needs and discuss it during the office visit. Calling in a refill is considered a courtesy needed when appointments are changed or due to recommended medication adjustments.
Please ask your pharmacy to fax refill requests to (818) 876-0555
Requests for refills may take up to 72 hours and are not done on weekends or holidays.
Patients not seen for over 3 months or have missed 2 consecutive appointments will need to be seen for a re-evaluation before medications can be refilled, in order to review your progress, side effects and potentially make additional adjustments. Please bear in mind that this is for your safety.
4. Insurance:
I am not a contracted provider with insurance companies. Services are not rendered on the basis that your insurance company will reimburse you. If you have insurance, you will be provided with an insurance statement to submit to your insurance company but you are responsible for payment in full at the end of each session. Check your health insurance coverage for Out-of-Network outpatient mental health care to determine your possible reimbursement.
5. Phone Calls and Emails:
Telephone and electronic communication are recognized as patient care by the American Medical Association and may replace the need for an office visit. Telephone calls, emails, document preparation, and other requirements of Dr. Werner-Crohn’s time and expertise lasting longer than 5 minutes will be charged at her usual rate, (See Rates and Services).
6. Cancellations:
A cancellation is considered late and chargeable if made within 48 hours of the scheduled appointment. I understand that personal schedules change and commitments need to be broken, but the time slot has been saved for you, and failure to provide adequate notice or missed appointments will be billed at full fee. While we make every attempt to provide email reminders, it is your responsibility to keep track of your appointment.
7. Discontinuation of Treatment:
I will usually discontinue treatment with a patient only after discussion with you and usually for one of the following reasons: 1.) Not paying the bill, 2.) Canceling too often, or 3.) Not doing any work in treatment. If you foresee a problem in any of these areas, please let me know. If I see a difficulty in any of these areas, I will bring it up to you so we can discuss it and try to correct the problem.
You can discontinue with me at any time in person, by phone, or in writing. I am not easily offended if you want to stop treatment, change providers or get a second opinion. Transfer of information will be facilitated if we can confer first. You can usually reopen your case simply by calling me if you ended the treatment in good standing or if you have made changes which allow the treatment to go forward again.
8. This is the website of Dr. Mindy Werner-Crohn, who is the author of the website and is responsible for the operation of the clinic.
9. The contents of this site are original. The contents and the health and medical information provided in this website are authored and edited by Dr. Mindy Werner-Crohn.
10. The website of Dr. Mindy Werner-Crohn is intended to provide authoritive information for those interested in psychiatric therapy and/or psycho-pharmacology.
11. The information found on the website of Dr. Mindy Werner-Crohn is designed to support, not to replace, the relationship between patient & physician.
12. The Privacy/Confidentiality Policy of the website of Dr. Mindy Werner-Crohn regarding e-mail addresses, personal and medical information comforms with the requirements of HIPAA.
13. The website of Dr. Mindy Werner-Crohn respects the legal requirements, including those concerning medical and personal information privacy, that apply in the USA and the State of California.
14. The website of Dr. Mindy Werner-Crohn does not present any claims relating to the benefit or performance of a specific medical treatment, commercial product or service.
15. The website of Dr. Mindy Werner-Crohn is a commercial site funded entirely by Dr. Mindy Werner-Crohn.
16. No advertising is accepted, displayed or hosted.
FAILURE TO PROVIDE 48 HOURS NOTICE OF CANCELLATION AND MISSED APPOINTMENTS WILL BE BILLED AT FULL FEE