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APPOINTMENTS,
PROCEDURES, AND FEES
Appointments and Fees
Appointments are scheduled
in advance. The initial
appointment is scheduled for seventy-five minutes, and the fee is $150.
Subsequent sessions are generally fifty minutes in length, with a
fee of $100. When sessions are
scheduled for longer periods of time, the fee is prorated, based on the
fee of $100 per fifty minutes. When a personality inventory is used, there is a fee of $100
for administration and scoring of the test.
Charges for psychological evaluations are based on the total amount
of time consumed, including personal interviews, testing, and composition
of a report. Charges will be
made for appointments unless canceled in advance of the appointment time.
Problems or
misunderstandings regarding fee payment can interfere with the counseling
process. Consequently, it is
important that payment arrangements are understood at the first session. If there is no third-party (private insurance or government
funding) involved, payment is due at the time services are provided.
In the case of a third party payer, the client is responsible to
pay for the deductible amount (if not already met) and the co-payment at
each session. The remainder of the fee can be paid by the third party
directly to the provider.
Insurance and Managed Care
With
the involvement of managed care organizations, the process of obtaining
payment for psychological services has become more complex.
Each organization functions differently, and has its own procedures
for authorizing services to be paid, determining limits of coverage, and
payment methods. Some apply a
deductible and co-payment specific to psychological services, that differ from those applied to
medical services. Some
require pre-authorization of services.
It is important to clarify coverage and procedures by contacting
the managed care organization prior to the initial appointment. |
