NOTICE
“No Surprises Act”
Dear Current And Potential Future Clients,
Congress enacted a “No Surprises Act” that went into effect 1/1/2022. The act is described as “new federal protections against surprise medical bills that take effect in 2022. Surprise medical bills arise when insured consumers inadvertently receive care from out-of-network hospitals, doctors, or other providers they did not choose” (please see https://www.kff.org/health-reform/issue-brief/no-surprises-act-implementation-what-to-expect-in-2022/).
It is highly unlikely this could affect our work together. There will be no situation in which you would “inadvertently” receive care from me or with no choice. The work we do together is done with full informed consent. I am “out of network” for all insurance companies — I do not accept insurance for services.
You may read more about this at https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises and the formal “interim final rules” at: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/10/07/2021-21441/requirements-related-to-surprise-billing-part-ii.
If we currently work together, you are already aware of my charges and your costs. If you are considering working with me, available information suggests the rule might require me to provide you with a diagnosis before we even meet, which of course would be both unethical and impossible without a meaningful evaluation of your circumstances. It’s even possible you may not have a “mental health diagnosis.”
Rest assured that I will be as transparent as possible with you about the costs of the services we agree on together. You will have “no surprises” here. Transparency is required by ethical standards by which I have abided for the 33 years I have been in practice, and more importantly because it is necessary for us to work well together. As we begin working together I will provide you with a “Good Faith Estimate” (GFE) form with service charges and estimated costs, which we will discuss fully.
In the meantime, you may certainly ask me about any costs about which you may be unsure, and I will provide you with clear information to the best of my knowledge.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any related questions. My contact information is available under the OFFICE LOCATION/CONTACT menu on this website.