INTRODUCTION TO POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
At South Chesapeake Psychiatry (SCP), it is our mission to provide you, the client, with the utmost quality of care. The providers and staff at SCP were all drawn to the FIVE pillars that SCP stands by: Quality, Excellence, Availability, Accountability, and Expertise. There are numerous variables that go into managing and maintaining a smooth, well-run practice, all while keeping quality of care at the forefront. We will provide you with different steps we can take, collectively, to ensure we are providing great quality of care and awesome customer service to ALL our patients. While some of these may be minor, and some more significant, they’re all just as equally important.
Business Hours/Weekends/Urgent/Non-Urgent Calls
Contacting SCP
If you call our office during regular business hours and you receive our voicemail, please leave a detailed message. Our staff works diligently and efficiently to answer calls, return phone calls, and retrieve and return messages, all while checking in patients and handling other daily tasks and responsibilities. As members of the SCP staff, we understand the importance of being available to our patients. We strive to be better than the last or next office, so just remember to be patient. You are OUR top priority!!!!
SCP Hours of Operation:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 9am-8pm
Friday: CLOSED every other
Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday: CLOSED
*Hours are subject to change*
Urgent/ Non-Urgent Calls
Regardless of the situation, SCP will always try to accommodate you and your needs. However, there are some calls or issues that take priority over others. For example, if someone calls after hours or on the weekend and is out of a medication that could potentially put that patient at risk, obviously, this would be a high priority case and would be handled immediately. If you call on a weekend or after hours, and you need something like a letter or forms to be completed, this would be considered non-urgent and can wait until the next business day. If you are experiencing a medical or mental health emergency, please contact 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
Check-In Process for Virtual/In Office Appointments
Appointment Preference
If you are scheduled for an appointment, a note is added to your appointment that indicates whether you prefer an in-office, virtual, or phone appointment. PLEASE NOTE: Virtual appointments must be conducted in a safe, secure, and private environment without distractions (e.g., not while driving, shopping or in the presence of other people). If you do not have the ability OR capability to have a virtual appointment, please inform the SCP staff so an in-office or phone appointment can be scheduled.
Checking In
When checking in for a virtual appointment or an in-office appointment, please check-in or arrive 10 minutes early. This allows us to make any necessary updates to your chart, collect payment, and get you connected to your provider. Doing this helps with keeping you, your provider, and other patients on schedule and on track.
Payment Process
When checking in for an appointment, please have your method of payment (credit/bank card) ready to provide. This allows for a quick and smooth check-in process, which in turn, helps to keep your provider and staff on schedule.
Minor Patients
Regardless of the appointment type (in-office or virtual), patients under 18 years old must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian for their appointment. This allows the parent or guardian to inform their child’s provider of any changes, issues, updates, or concerns. It also allows for the staff to collect appropriate payment for the scheduled appointment.
Appointment Information
New Patient Appointment
Please be mindful and aware of the length of your scheduled appointment. New patient appointments are scheduled for 60 to 90 minutes, depending on the patient age and provider. ALL new patients MUST confirm their first appointment with the staff or through the automated system 48-hours (2 Business Days) ahead of your scheduled appointment. If your appointment is NOT confirmed within that timeframe, then your appointment will becancelled by the SCP staff. This not only ensures your commitment to SCP, but it allows the opportunity for someone else to be seen.
Follow-Up (“Med-Check”) Appointment
Please be mindful and aware of the length of your scheduled appointment. To provide you with the appropriate medication and/or refills, you are required to be seen for follow-up/med-check appointments.Follow-ups are scheduled for a duration of 20 minutes. To help your provider stay on schedule, please ensure you arrive 10 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment. If you are experiencing a crisis or feel you may need more time with your provider beyond the 20 minutes, please notify the office staff as soon as possible so we can work to accommodate your needs. Please be considerate and respectful of other scheduled patients, as their time is as equally valuable as yours.
Medication Management and Therapy
SCP focuses on psychiatric medication management and your mental health is our top priority. SCP does not provide therapy or counseling services. If you and your provider feel therapy or counseling is necessary and beneficial in conjunction with medication management, your provider can recommend and/or provide you with therapy resources.
Medication/Pharmacy/Vacation
If you plan on traveling and you know you will need medication while you are away, please contact SCP as soon as possible but no later than 1 week in advance. This allows for us to make appropriate adjustments, as most medications require pharmacy and provider communication, in addition to insurance and pharmacy authorization. If SCP is made aware you are leaving town in advanced, this gives us enough time to handle and complete this process.
Cancellations And Missed Appointments
Appointment Cancellations
If an appointment needs to be cancelled and/or re-scheduled, please make sure to call our office 24 hours in advance to cancel. Make sure to leave a detailed message about your cancellation to include the reason, as our staff monitors the voicemail frequently. This allows the staff enough time to schedule someone else who may need to be seen. If your appointment is cancelled within the appropriate timeframe, you will not be charged.
Missed Appointments
If an appointment is missed and you do not provide a 24-hour notice of cancellation, you will still be required to pay for your missed appointment. Please keep in mind that medications will not be provided to you until a $75 payment for your missed appointment is received AND a 4–6-week follow-up appointment is scheduled. At this point, your provider will only provide you with enough medication to last until your follow-up appointment. Your medications will be prescribed as they were at your last appointment. No medication adjustments will be made until you are seen at the next scheduled appointment.
Introduction to Policies and Procedures
OFFICE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Thank you for choosing South Chesapeake Psychiatry (SCP). Your support and loyalty have been instrumental in the growth of our practice. In order to provide you with the utmost quality of care, it is imperative that we set proper expectations within our policies and procedures. Enforcing these will not only benefit you as a patient but also us as your providers. We appreciate everyone’s efforts in adhering to these guidelines.
- I am responsible for full payment, at the time of service, rendered by SCP. I understand that if a payment is not made at the time of service, then a follow-up appointment will not be scheduled until the payment is received.
- I understand that SCP is considered out-of-network and is a self-pay practice. While some insurance companies may reimburse or partially reimburse for services at SCP, it is my responsibility to contact my insurance company to determine if I am eligible for any or all reimbursement.
- I understand that if an appointment is NOT cancelled within 24 hours, is cancelled on the same day as my scheduled appointment, if I am over 7 minutes late to my scheduled appointment OR if an appointment is missed altogether, I will be considered a “no show.” I will be responsible for a “no show” fee of $75 and understand this payment must be made before scheduling my next appointment.
- I understand that 2 or more “no shows” within a year could result in my termination of treatment with SCP.
- I understand that as a new patient, I am required to confirm my first appointment 2 business days prior to my scheduled visit. Appointments can be confirmed through the automated system OR by calling into SCP. If you call in and receive the voicemail, please leave a detailed message. I am aware that if my appointment is not confirmed 2 days in advanced, my appointment will be cancelled by the SCP staff. If a new patient appointment is missed (no-show), another appointment can be rescheduled after full, non-refundable payment of $300 is made prior to scheduling.
- I agree to keep my regularly scheduled appointments with my provider, as they are necessary for medication management. I understand that if I am a “no show,” my provider will not send in my prescription refills until my “no show” fee of $75 is paid AND a 4 to 6-week follow-up is scheduled.
- I understand that I must keep my medication in a safe place, and I must take my medications exactly as they are prescribed to me, unless first consulting with my medication provider to make necessary/documented changes.
- I understand that if my controlled medication is stolen/lost, it is at my provider’s discretion if the medication will be replaced. If the medication is stolen, I understand that a police report is required for replacement.
- I agree to random urine drug screens.
- I understand if I have forms that need to be completed (FMLA, Long/Short Term Disability, Accommodation Letters, etc.), I must give them to SCP as soon as possible and promptly schedule an appointment with my provider to review the forms. I understand an appointment to review the forms is required so my provider can gain an understanding of my situation and properly assess what is needed and/or required. SCP is aware that time is of the essence for some forms; therefore, our providers have set aside designated openings for these types of appointments.
- I acknowledge that if I, or an outside entity request my medical records, it may take up to 30 days to receive the requested records.
- I acknowledge that if my medication requires a prior authorization, it can take up to 72 hours to be completed. Authorizations are handled by SCP staff in the order in which they are received.
- If my child has an appointment (in-office or virtual), I understand I must be present during the appointment so that payment can be processed, and information can be exchanged between parent and provider.
- I agree that any infractions to any of the above statements could result in immediate dismissal from SCP.
- I will always treat the staff at SCP respectfully, as will the SCP staff treat you. If I am disrespectful to staff or disrupt the care of other patients, this could lead to termination of treatment fromSCP.
- SCP is strictly an outpatient practice. While the staff will do their best to accommodate my needs, in the event I need immediate emergency care, I must call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
- I am responsible for my own appointments; reminders from the office are system generated and a courtesy.
- I may lose my right to treatment in this office if I violate any of the policies of SCP.
- If I do not wish to adhere to these policies, SCP has the right to REFUSE and/or DISCONTINUE my treatment.
