Psychology Associates LLP

On 11/9/17, I received your letter stating our business was named in a complaint assigned the ID # [redacted] In the letter, I was invited to respond within business daysI’m happy to respond, to the best of my ability, belowAs mental health providers, psychotherapists are subject to state and federal confidentiality lawsThese laws prohibit public disclosure of client’s personal health informationDue to the public nature of this forum, I am, therefore, unable to confirm or deny whether the complainant was, in fact, provided services at Psychology AssociatesHowever, I can speak generally to Psychology Associate’s billing practices, and offer information on my personal billing practicesAs a point of clarification, a late-cancellation fee should be differentiated from a late payment feeAs a provider, I have never charged a late payment feeI do, however, issue late cancellation and “no-show” fees when appointments are unattended without adequate noticeAt the onset of treatment, each client signs an Informed Consent formOur Informed Consent form outlines our 24-hour cancellation policy and states, “PLEASE NOTE our office must charge a fee even if you are late, or if you cannot make your appointment but do not cancel the appointment twenty-four hours in advance.” Whereas it is within the therapist’s right to collect the entire session amount for a late cancellation on an appointment that is unattended without notice, I inform my clients at the time of signing that my late-cancellation/no show fee is a $charge rather than a full session amountWhen a client violates the 24-hour cancellation policy, I remind the client that the late cancellation fee will be assessed, and this charge, then, shows up on their next billAll bills are mailed monthly to the name and address provided by clientsAny fee issued outside of a regular appointment fee is separately labeled and indicated on billing statementsAs with a late-cancellation fee, for example, a statement will include the date of service on which the late-cancellation occurred, the $amount that is being charged, and then labeled as “LATECAN” so a client knows the reason for the chargeCancellation fees are reflected on the billing statement for the month in which they occurredIf that the bill is not paid, all charges within that month will be reflected on subsequent monthly bills until payment is renderedAny amount billed over a $fee (or multiples thereof) would reflect the cost of services already rendered, the cost of which is often dictated by an individual’s insurance plan and subject to the terms of a policyThis may include deductibles, co-insurance and co-pay agreementsAs the nature of our work is in our relationships with clients, we value that relationship by always encouraging clients to contact us with any concerns or questions about billsAdditionally, we understand that our clients are often faced with stressful circumstances, and that this stress may be aggravated by financial concernsAs is in standing with the ethical practice of our profession, we offer payment plans and other options where clients face financial hardshipLastly, as an extra measure to protect the needs of our clients, all clients are given information on our client’s rights and grievance procedure as a matter of informed consent, and invited to call our client’s rights specialist should they have a complaint that is not satisfactorily resolved after talking with the therapistOur Rights and Grievance Specialist is [redacted] , and she can be reached at [redacted] It is my sincere hope that the above information is helpful for any clients who have sought services at our clinic, or those who may be seeking psychological services in the futureSincerely, [redacted] ***, MS, LPC

On 11/9/17, I received your letter stating our business was named in a complaint assigned the ID #***In the letter, I was invited to respond within business daysI’m happy to respond, to the best of my ability, below. As mental health providers, psychotherapists are subject to state
and federal confidentiality lawsThese laws prohibit public disclosure of client’s personal health informationDue to the public nature of this forum, I am, therefore, unable to confirm or deny whether the complainant was, in fact, provided services at Psychology AssociatesHowever, I can speak generally to Psychology Associate’s billing practices, and offer information on my personal billing practices. As a point of clarification, a late-cancellation fee should be differentiated from a late payment feeAs a provider, I have never charged a late payment feeI do, however, issue late cancellation and “no-show” fees when appointments are unattended without adequate noticeAt the onset of treatment, each client signs an Informed Consent formOur Informed Consent form outlines our 24-hour cancellation policy and states, “PLEASE NOTE our office must charge a fee even if you are late, or if you cannot make your appointment but do not cancel the appointment twenty-four hours in advance.” Whereas it is within the therapist’s right to collect the entire session amount for a late cancellation on an appointment that is unattended without notice, I inform my clients at the time of signing that my late-cancellation/no show fee is a $charge rather than a full session amountWhen a client violates the 24-hour cancellation policy, I remind the client that the late cancellation fee will be assessed, and this charge, then, shows up on their next bill. All bills are mailed monthly to the name and address provided by clientsAny fee issued outside of a regular appointment fee is separately labeled and indicated on billing statementsAs with a late-cancellation fee, for example, a statement will include the date of service on which the late-cancellation occurred, the $amount that is being charged, and then labeled as “LATECAN” so a client knows the reason for the chargeCancellation fees are reflected on the billing statement for the month in which they occurredIf that the bill is not paid, all charges within that month will be reflected on subsequent monthly bills until payment is rendered. Any amount billed over a $fee (or multiples thereof) would reflect the cost of services already rendered, the cost of which is often dictated by an individual’s insurance plan and subject to the terms of a policyThis may include deductibles, co-insurance and co-pay agreements. As the nature of our work is in our relationships with clients, we value that relationship by always encouraging clients to contact us with any concerns or questions about billsAdditionally, we understand that our clients are often faced with stressful circumstances, and that this stress may be aggravated by financial concernsAs is in standing with the ethical practice of our profession, we offer payment plans and other options where clients face financial hardshipLastly, as an extra measure to protect the needs of our clients, all clients are given information on our client’s rights and grievance procedure as a matter of informed consent, and invited to call our client’s rights specialist should they have a complaint that is not satisfactorily resolved after talking with the therapistOur Rights and Grievance Specialist is *** ***, and she can be reached at *** It is my sincere hope that the above information is helpful for any clients who have sought services at our clinic, or those who may be seeking psychological services in the future. Sincerely, *** ** ***, MS, LPC