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I organize my practice around scheduled appointments, usually 50 minutes in length. I bill for the time that has been reserved. I usually charge for missed appointments and for cancelled appointments if I am unable to fill the time that has been reserved.
When I first meet with a patient, I usually see him or her three or four times in order to form an impression about whether or not I might be helpful. If the patient is a child, I usually also meet with the parents two or three times in order to familiarize myself with the background.
I tender my bills at the beginning of each month and ask that my patients pay me by the 10th of the month. If a patient is unable to pay their bill promptly, I ask that they please let me know so that we can work out a mutually agreeable payment schedule.
As is common in my profession, I modify my “usual” fees to fit individual circumstances. The current (July 2009) UCR (usual, customary, and reasonable) fee for psychotherapy in the Triangle area lies somewhere between $100 and $165 per session depending upon the specific therapist’s qualifications and experience.
I review my fees during the last month or two of each calendar year. I ask my patients to let me know whenever there are any significant changes in their circumstances that might affect their ability to pay my fees. I adjust my fees in line with the various costs of practicing my profession at the beginning of January each year.
I do not accept “assignment” of payment from insurance companies. However, I am willing to complete the "provider" portion of standard CMS-1500 claim forms (or other insurance forms provided by my patients). I do not submit these forms myself but instead give them to my patients so that we can review them together. They then can decide whether or not they wish to submit them to their health insurance company.
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