Appointments

To schedule an appointment, please call between 9:30am–noon or 1:00pm–4:30pm. Office visits are scheduled as quickly as possible, and every attempt is made to accommodate your needs.

When you arrive for your appointment, please check in with the receptionist. Let us know of any changes in address, telephone or medical insurance.

Appointment Reminders

As a courtesy we can provide an automated reminder text or phone call. However, remembering your appointment is entirely your responsibility.

Missed Appointments

Patients will be charged for missed appointments or for appointments cancelled less than 48 hours in advance. Appointments can be cancelled through our receptionist or voicemail system seven days a week. Missed appointments are not covered by insurance.

Financial Policy

Knowing your insurance benefits is your responsibility. All patients must complete our patient information form before seeing a provider and provide proof of insurance with a copy of a current valid insurance card(s). If you are covered by more than one insurance plan it is your responsibility to coordinate your benefits and provide the office with all insurance information. We participate in most of the major insurance plans. If you are not insured by a plan in which we participate, payment in full is expected at each visit.

Most insurance policies provide some coverage for mental health treatment. It is very important that you find out exactly what mental health services your policy covers, including the maximum number of visits allowed per year. If you have questions about the coverage, contact your plan’s Member Services.

All co-payments must be paid at the time of service. This arrangement is part of your contract with your insurance company and we will collect payment based on the information on your insurance card. For many policies, the co-pay may change during your course of treatment and insurance plans change co-pay rates without notifying providers. If your co-pay was higher than collected, you are responsible for paying the difference. If it should have been lower, we will give you a refund or credit.

Claims submission. Your insurance benefit is a contract between you and your insurance company; we are not party to that contract. As a courtesy to you, we will submit claims to insurance companies with which we participate and provide you with whatever assistance we can in helping you receive the benefits to which you are entitled; however, please be aware that the balance of your claim, which may include deductibles, is your responsibility whether or not your insurance company pays the claim.

Coverage changes. If your insurance changes, please notify us before your next visit so that we can make the appropriate changes to help you receive your maximum benefits. If you fail to notify us of insurance changes in a timely fashion, you may be responsible for your entire bill.

Missed appointments. We require 48 hour notice if you need to cancel an appointment. You may be charged for any missed appointment or cancelled appointment (when 48 hour notice was not given). These charges will be your responsibility (insurance companies do not provide reimbursement for cancelled sessions) and billed directly to you. Please help us to serve you better by keeping your regularly scheduled appointment or by calling 48 hours prior to your appointment.

Invoices. Electronic statements are sent out at the beginning of each month and paper statements are mailed every other month. After claims are processed, balances that are your responsibility will be billed to you and are payable upon receipt. In the event of self-pay balances over 60 days past due, Newton-Wellesley Psychiatry will add a service charge of 1.5% of the outstanding balance, or a minimum of $5.00, with each 30-day billing cycle.

Our practice is committed to providing the best treatment to our patients. Our prices are representative of the usual and customary charges for our area. Thank you for understanding our payment policy. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Insurance Billing

We submit claim forms for Medicare, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Tufts Health Care, United Health Care as well as other managed care insurance programs. We are governed by contractual agreements with these carriers. Not all of our clinicians belong to all the managed care programs.

Although we submit claim forms, each patient is responsible for his/her own bill. In addition, it is your responsibility to pay office copayments at the time of visit and to follow insurance guidelines as outlined in your insurance manual. We will do our best to assist you but please remember that it is your insurance carrier. If ever in doubt about benefits or procedure, it is best to get in touch with your plan’s member services department. Each plan is unique and has its own set of rules and regulations.

If you have a private medical insurance or belong to an insurance plan that is not accepted by our office or your individual provider, you are expected to pay at the time of visit. We will provide a receipted statement with all the information that your insurance company needs. Please attach our statement to your insurance form when you submit for reimbursement.

If you have no medical insurance, we ask that you pay for your medical services at the time of your visit.

Prescriptions

We do not respond to refill requests from pharmacies. We must hear directly from you via phone or Patient Gateway for prescription refill requests.

We encourage you to work with your provider to make sure you have enough medication until your next scheduled appointment. Refill requests between appointments will be responded to within 1-2 business days of your provider receiving your request, so be sure to plan accordingly to prevent lapses in your treatment.

For controlled substances, including benzodiazepines (Klonopin, Ativan, Xanax, Valium, etc.) and stimulants (Adderall, Ritalin, Concerta, etc.): If your provider is unavailable, the covering provider will determine if it is appropriate to authorize enough medication until your provider is available.

Be aware that a brief interruption of a stimulant will not result in a dangerous withdrawal reaction.