Please Read this Important Notice

 

One of my top priorities is to provide each of my patients with a relaxed, unhurried atmosphere, in an allotted time that is devoted just to you, in order to maximize the benefits of your evaluation.  To achieve this goal, I schedule each patient a separate one hour (initial evaluation) or 2 to 2.5 hour (testing) appointment.  I do not overlap appointments, as many doctors do, in order to protect themselves from empty spots in their schedules.  To be respectful of my patients’ time, I also strive to remain on schedule, except for rare emergency situations. Within this system, if a patient does not provide reasonable notice of appointment cancellations, or just does not show up for a scheduled appointment, that time is lost--for the patient, and for others on a waiting list who might have used that time. Additionally, due to a recent increase in the number of late cancellations and no-show appointments, I have, reluctantly, decided to implement stricter guidelines in order to assure the continuing financial stability of my practice.  The following procedures have been implemented to encourage patients to schedule appointments only when they are reasonably certain they will be able to meet this obligation, to then keep their appointments, or to provide a minimum of 24 hours’ notice for necessary cancellations.

 

1. We make every effort to provide a reminder call one to two business days prior to your next appointment.  However, if you do not receive this message, it is your responsibility to clarify the appointment date and time, if necessary.

 

2. If you cannot keep your appointment, please contact the office as soon as you know, by telephoning 693-0617, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and we will reschedule your session as soon as both of our schedules allow.   If no-one is available to answer your call, please leave a message of your cancellation, and whether you will call back, or you wish us to call you back, to reschedule. The sooner a cancellation is received, the more likely I will be able to offer that time to someone who is on a waiting list for evaluation.

 

3. You will be billed the full appointment fee (not your co-pay amount) for any appointments you do not keep, unless you provide at least 24 hours’ cancellation notice. This includes the initial evaluation session.

 

4. If I assess that the cancellation circumstances were of an emergency nature and thus were beyond your control, I will waive this fee.  Examples of emergencies include being in a car accident on the way to the appointment, or waking up on the date of the appointment with an unexpected illness serious enough to require medical attention.  Please note that employment or school issues (e.g. being called into or held over at work or school), or feeling too emotionally distressed to attend a session, are not considered emergencies within this policy.  Again, with 24 hours’ notice, you may cancel an appointment for any reason, without charge.

 

5.  It is important to note that insurance companies do not provide reimbursement for cancelled sessions.  It will be your responsibility to pay the no show/late notice cancellation fee prior to scheduling another session.