Billing and Payments

BILLING AND PAYMENTS

Evaluate Your Resources: Professional evaluation and/or treatment for the difficulties you are experiencing, and for the personal growth and development you wish to do, is an important investment in your health and well-being. In order for us to set realistic treatment goals and priorities, it is important to evaluate what resources you have available to pay for your treatment.

Statement of Professional Preference: It is my strong preference as your psychologist to maintain the integrity and security of the doctor- client relationship in the services that I provide to you. In my professional experience, this can best be maintained by working together on the matters that concern you, independently of insurance company or other outside entity oversight and requirements.

Payment for consultation or for psychological or neuropsychological evaluation and treatment is expected at the time the service is provided. Please arrive at your session prepared to pay your fee via cash, check made payable to Deborah Buckwalter, or credit card (processing fee applies). Dealing with the fees and “business” aspect of our work at the beginning of each treatment session enables us to end your session with what we have worked on freshest in your mind.

Credit Card Policy: In order to meet the needs of clients, Dr. Buckwalter has initiated a credit card on file policy, effective January 1, 2015. Clients now have the option to pay their fees at the time of service, using cash, check or credit/debit card. The credit card placed on file can be used to pay for session fees as well as missed appointment fees (automatically charged after checking with you to see if you would prefer to pay for the missed session with cash or check instead of credit).

Dr. Buckwalter uses Square to process credit/debit transactions. When cards are swiped at the time of services, clients will provide their signature. When clients choose to use their credit card on file, payments will be processed following the session and will be manually entered. A processing fee of 0.025% is added to your regular fee. You can visit www. squareup.com to learn more about Square.

Policy regarding late cancellations and no-shows: Sessions are scheduled in advance and are times reserved exclusively for you. When a session is cancelled without adequate notice, I am unable to fill this time slot by offering it to another current client, a client on the wait list, or a client with a clinical emergency. Once an appointment is scheduled, it is reserved for you. If you are unable to keep your appointment, 24 hours advance notice of cancellation is needed. If you miss your appointment without notifying me in advance, you will be expected to pay a cancellation fee equal to your regular session fee. This fee may be waived if you can reschedule your appointment within that same week, based on my availability.

Dr. Buckwalter is an out-of-network provider. Many health insurance policies provide some coverage for “Out of Network” mental/behavioral health treatment. If a client wishes to access their benefits, they pay their fee for service at the time it is provided. Then upon request, Dr. Buckwalter will provide an invoice that the client may submit to their insurance company for reimbursement. If clients have out of network benefits, these typically cover a percentage of the total fee. Please note that the client (not their insurance company) is responsible for payment of all fees.

Information Provided to Insurance Companies: You should be aware that most insurance companies require a clinical diagnosis. Sometimes they require additional clinical information such as treatment plans or summaries, or copies of the entire record. This information will become part of the insurance company files.