PLEASE READ OVER CAREFULLY AND COMPLETELY
Heather Warchocki, Ph.D.
1900 L Street NW, Suite 503
Washington, DC 20036
Phone (202) 450-3993
Email:
Office Arrangements and Guidelines: Effective as of 01-01-2017
The following are the arrangements I use in the operation my practice. Please read them, ask any questions and sign/date the bottom. You are advised to keep a copy for your records. It is extremely important that you feel that you are receiving the help that you need and that you participate in your treatment. Please do not hesitate to discuss any issues or ask any questions that you have about your therapy.
Messages and Appointments
The contact number is (202) 450-3993. Please leave a message and I will return your call as soon as possible. Please know that if there are times I do not get right back to you, I have received your message and am probably in session. Please remember to leave a phone number where I can reach you directly and some times when you will be available. If you have an urgent situation please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
During our first appointment (or prior to) we will agree on a day, time, and frequency for our appointments. I will protect these appointments for you on an ongoing basis until we have discussed otherwise. Scheduling sessions in this manner allows for continuity and consistency in therapy, which are important in this type of treatment. Please note that sessions are 45 minutes long, start on the hour and end 45 minutes after the hour. Being late is understandable and unavoidable at times; but please note it will deduct from the time we have in our session.
If you do need to cancel an appointment please cancel with 48 hours notice. Please note: 48 hours means 48 hours from your scheduled session time. If your session time is9am on a Wednesday you would need to email no later than 9am on Monday. If you do not cancel with 48 hours notice you will be charged a $75 late cancelation fee. I will allow two late cancelations per calendar year without charge and keep track of these dates in your chart. Alternatively if you cancel late but are able to schedule in the same calendar week I will not count it as a late cancelation. This is subject to my availability that particular week. If there are multiple canceled sessions, regardless of the amount of time given for the cancelation, I may not be able to protect our session time in the manner described above. We will discuss this on a case-by-case basis if this should occur.In some cases, this lack of continuity may be contraindicated to progress in treatment and it will be recommended that you find a therapist that can accommodate your schedule so that you can get the session frequency needed for effective treatment.
If inclement weather occurs I will decide whether or not to close the office based on the severity of the weather. If the Federal Government closes but I choose to remain open you may cancel the session and no late cancelation fee will apply. If the Federal Government is not closed but you choose to cancel the session the late cancelation policy will be applied.
Tele-therapy
Most insurance companies do not cover phone sessions. Some (but not all plans) will cover video sessions. I am open to having some tele-therapy sessions if it is appropriate for your particular situation and we have been meeting in person for a significant period of time. While it can be convenient to have tele-theray sessions when a last minute conflict comes up, I do need advance notice prior to our first tele-therapy session to contact the insurance company to see if this is a covered service and to determine if this is a proper fit for our work together. Failure to provide advanced notice could result in your appointment being considered a late cancel.
Fees and Insurance Coverage
Fees for services are agreed upon during your initial interview and under normal circumstances will not be increased for one year. Fees and co-payments will be collected at the beginning of each session and are to be paid in full. I am an in-network provider and will submit paperwork directly to Cigna, Aetna,Magellan and Blue Cross/Carefirst insurance. If your insurance is not included in this list I am considered an out-of network provider and you are responsible for the full session fee. I am happy to submit the paperwork to the insurance company to help with the payment process. However, you will be responsible for the remaining balance that your insurance does not cover.
Please be aware if your insurance has a yearly deductible and when the year starts for your plan. Most plans start in January but other common times are December and July. I will not know if your deductible has been meet until claims have been submitted for processing. This can take a month or more. If the deductible has not been meet you are responsible for the cost of those sessions until you have met your deductible.
Payments can be made using cash, check or Venmo. Venmo payments must be made within a reasonable timeframe. If there are several instances where payment is delayed significantly I will have a conversation on a case by case basis to come up with a more specific agreement regarding Venmo use. Possible example agreements could include: setting a specific timeframe and adding a fee for each day a payment is late or no longer accepting Venmo as a form of payment from you. If you plan to use Venmo, it is your responsibility to become familiar with Venmo’s terms and conditions. It is highly encouraged that you set your payments to private so that others do not see whom you are making payments to in the effort of keeping our relationship confidential.
Please note that insurance does not cover time completing forms or writing letters. If you have a request for a letter or form you be will be responsible for the time spent based on the hourly charge of $150 per hour as follows: 1-15 minutes will incur a $37.50 charge, 16-30 minutes will incur a $75 charge, 31-45 minutes will incur a $112 charge and 46-60 minutes will incur a $150 charge. If time spent takes over an hour the cost will be $150 plus the time increments over that hour.
Confidentiality
Our conversations will be held in the utmost confidence. There are certain situations where psychologists are mandated by law to disclose information without your consent. These situations include: if you are an imminent danger to yourself or others, if there is suspected child abuse/neglect, sexual abuse of a minor, elder abuse/neglect or if your records are subpoenaed by a court of law. Any other sharing of confidential information will be shared only after receiving written permission from you or as HIPPA law allows.
I understand and agree to the above arrangements and have been offered a copy of these guidelines for my files.
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Emailing and Informed Consent to Email
If you prefer to email me for routine questions and scheduling concerns you may do so. Please note email is for routine issues only. If I feel that the content of the email is more appropriate for an in person discussion I will advise that we schedule a session or discuss the topic at our next session. This is to ensure that private and personal matters are handled in the best matter possible, avoid miscommunication and protect your privacy. If you are in crisis or have a life threatening emergency you must contact 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Please note the confidentiality in emails cannot be guaranteed as email can reside on servers even after they have been deleted. Further, if you are emailing from a work computer or work email account your employer does have the means to access our communications and confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. If you have read the limitations of confidentiality regarding email and would like to email in the future please sign on the line immediately below. If you do not wish to communicate via email please write N/A on the line below.
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