Policies

all forms are also available via your patient portal

Overview of Policies

STAFF AVAILABILITY

Staff is available during office hours.  We are open from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 1:30 pm to 4pm and Saturdays by appointment from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. If you have a non-urgent matter, you can leave a telephone message or utilize the patient portal outside of business hours (the most efficient method).  Someone will contact you within 24 hours.  For emergencies, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

PATIENT CARE BY CLINICAL PHARMACIST

Patients may be referred to the clinical pharmacist for medication monitoring which includes monitoring medication response and safety.  Patients may be referred to the clinical pharmacist for medication consultation, medication dose adjustments, review of medication adherence, drug-drug interactions, benzodiazepine taper, medication education, and to complete behavioral health screening tools. The clinical pharmacist will be available to help identify any potential medication related problems and address these with the patient and provider.  If a medication change is made to your regimen by the clinical pharmacist, the change will be discussed with the psychiatrist, and you will see the psychiatrist at your next visit to address the medication change and to follow up on how you are feeling.  If no medication changes are made to your regimen by the clinical pharmacist, you will continue to be assessed by the psychiatrist at least every 6 months. You will remain under the care and supervision of the psychiatrist while you are a patient in our clinic.

KEEPING YOUR APPOINTMENTS

Please call 24 hours in advance to change or cancel your appointment. A $35 fee will be charged for same day cancellations.  This fee is not covered by your insurance.  A patient may be dismissed from the practice after cancelling or missing 2 consecutive appointments. A missed initial assessment will only be rescheduled once. 

PAYMENTS ARE DUE ON THE DAY OF YOUR VISIT

We accept payment through debit cards, credit cards or check. We currently do not accept Medicaid. We do some commercial Medicare plans. Discounted rates are available for patients without insurance and college students. They are provided at the discretion of the provider. If you have a balance due at the time of your visit, you will only be given a 30-day supply of medications. Your balance must be paid in full before further prescriptions are given and you will risk being discharged from the clinic.

ASSIGNMENT OF BENEFITS

As a patient of Total Care Psychiatry (TCP), you agree for your insurance company to pay TCP for the services provided to you. Therefore, you agree for your insurance company to pay the benefits directly to TCP. If we are an in-network provider with your insurance company, it is the patient’s responsibility to pay any deductible amount, coinsurance, and copays.  If we are an out-of-network provider, it is your responsibility to pay the balance after your insurance company pays. You are responsible for the cost of all medically necessary procedures not covered by your insurance company. By signing the HIPAA Privacy Notice and Release of Information (available in your patient portal forms), you authorize the release of all information necessary to secure payment and agree to pay for services not covered by your insurance and other medical necessary procedures not covered by insurance including.

REASONS FOR DISCHARGE FROM THE CLINIC

We reserve the right to accept and discharge patients from our practice who we do not believe are appropriate for treatment at Total Care Psychiatry. We reserve the right to discharge patients from clinic who are disrespectful and patient who do not adhere to our policies. We strive to treat all patients with respect and expect the same of our patients.  We also reserve the right to not accept patients into the clinic or discharge patients who need a higher level of care than we can provide. 

DELINQUENT ACCOUNTS

You will be charged $25 if your balance is not paid within 90 days. Your account will be referred to a collection agency if delinquent after 90 days. You will also be charged $25 for insufficient funds if you pay by check.

MEDICATION REFILL REQUESTS

It is the patient’s responsibility to request refills during office hours. This is best done through the patient portal. Medication refills will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and may be subject to a telephone assessment fee if the reason for the call goes beyond a medication refill request.

COPY OF RECORDS

Patients are directly responsible for payment of copies of records. The cost of medical record copies is $2 for the first 10 pages, $4 for 20 pages and $25 if copies are more than 20 pages. However, your records are available via your patient portal for free.

LETTERS/ PAPERWORK REQUESTS

We will complete Psychiatric Assessments for Bariatric Surgery at a rate of $300 per hour and you will be responsible for this cost.  We do not complete Social Security Disability Paperwork, but you may request your records for completion of your application. Completion of other paperwork will be done at the discretion of your provider and all paperwork submitted will not be completed.  We do not certify animals as service or support animals. Complex requests that require more than 15 minutes to complete are subject to a fee of $150 per 30 minutes needed to complete the request.

REQUESTS FOR FORENSIC WORK/COURT INVOLVEMENT

Unless there is a separate contract with your attorney, ANY legal work related to your care (including testimony and travel time) will be charged at a rate of $350 per hour. You are directly responsible for payment to this office. Please have your attorney contact our office for a consultation.

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE

Your records are kept confidential but may be released if subpoenaed by a judge.  We are also mandated reporters in the state of South Carolina and will take means and breach confidentiality to protect you and others if you are an imminent threat of harm to yourself, to someone else or if a child or vulnerable adult is being abused or neglected. Please review our Privacy Notice by clicking on the Privacy Notice download or one can be mailed to you.

Suboxone Treatment: Please contact Synergy Counseling Center at 864-223-2243 located in Greenwood, SC.