POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Fees
The fee for service is $250 for a Clinical interview. Psychotherapy sessions are an hour and billed at $200.00 a session. Payments should be made at the end of each session. Payment of the portion not covered by third party insurance carriers (Co-Pays) are due at each session. Clients without insurance coverage should discuss payment options prior to or during the first visit.
Psychological assessments are labor intensive and include administration of tests, scoring tests and interpretations of results. Then a report is prepared. Testing sessions are often scheduled in 3-5 hour blocks of time, sometimes shorter sessions for children with more sessions to complete administration of tests. Psychological and neuropsychological testing is billed at $200.00 and $250.00 an hour, respectively. On average, a full psychological battery can take 10 to 25 hours of time and costs $2000.00 to $5,000.00 based on the number and types of tests administered.
It is the client’s responsibility to contact their insurance company to determine their policy’s terms in regards to outpatient mental health. If authorizations are required, the patient must ensure that the insurance company grants them prior to coming to or continuing in therapy. Insurance companies often need 7 to 10 business days to provide authorization for psychological testing and may only cover part of the testing necessary to determine a diagnosis.
As a service to you, we will bill the insurance company each month. If the insurance company is not forthcoming with payment, it is the client’s responsibility to follow up and to make certain that payment is secured. Should the insurance company not cover the sessions, the client is fully responsible for the session fees. To avoid this, please contact your insurance company regularly to be certain of any changes in your policy.
Cancellations
Twenty Four hour notice is required for appointment cancellations regardless of the reason for cancellation. Unless such notice is given, full payment will be expected for any session canceled or missed. If an appointment is missed without notice, we can bill your insurance company and your responsibility for the session can be worked out with them. When appointments are canceled, the possibility of rescheduling should be discussed. If an appointment is missed without contacting the therapist, the scheduled slot cannot be guaranteed for the following week and may be filled with a new client. Continuity is essential to beneficial therapy work.
Confidentiality
Everything discussed with your therapist is strictly confidential and APA guidelines are strictly followed. Third party payers, for example, cannot ask to see your records without your written consent. If you have sought treatment previously, it may be advisable for me to review that treatment. In that case I will need your written permission to contact previous therapists or physicians. We can fill out a release of information form specifically for the people and agencies you wish the therapist to contact.
For the more detailed form that you can download, please click the Word button to the right.
Integrative Psyche Services
David P. Smith, MA, PhD
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Email: Dps3@uchicago.edu Ph#: 773-562-3276