Office Policies
Rules for Telehealth/Virtual Visits
Patients must be LOCATED IN STATE OF ILLINOIS during the appointment.
If you are taking your appointment from a place other than your residence or work place (address should be previously disclosed) you will need to notify me of such during the beginning of your visit.
You cannot be driving a vehicle during your visit, you can take your telehealth appointment from a vehicle that is safely parked.
You must be clothed and in a well-lit, quiet space with the privacy that you require.
Ensure you have your video-conferencing software updated and a secure internet connection a few minutes before visit start time.
Recording of appointments is not permitted.
Billing
A credit card is required when booking an appointment per our credit card consent form and an active credit card must be kept on file.
If you are covered by either a Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO or Blue Cross Blue Shield Blue Choice PPO:
We will bill at an in-network level for those plans.
It is your responsibility to contact your insurance carrier to discuss your plan’s mental health benefits, including any deductibles, co-payments, annual and lifetime limits, and if pre-authorization is required.
You are responsible for and will be charged for all charges not paid by your insurance, including deductibles, co-payments, any uncovered charges, charges for missed appointments, etc.
You are responsible for informing us of any changes to your insurance.
If you are covered by an Out of Network Provider Plan:
The out of pocket payment is due after time of service and will be charged to your card after the appointment.
After payment has been made, we will provide you with an Insurance Invoice or “superbill” to submit to your insurance plan for possible reimbursement.
Cancellation Policy
Your appointment time is reserved and protected for you. It is time that could have been available to another patient. I do not double book appointments.
Once an appointment is scheduled, any cancellations or reschedules must be made at least 24 business hours in advance. Business days are considered weekdays, and exclude holidays. For Monday appointments, you must cancel by Friday at 4 pm unless there are extenuating circumstances for which we recommend to leave a message on the phone or portal prior to your scheduled visit for review.
Cancellations made less than 24 business hours prior to the appointment time or No Shows will be charged the following cancellation fees:
Cancellation Fee for an Initial Psychiatric Consultation - $250
Cancellation Fee for a Follow Up Visit - $150
Cancellation fees cannot be billed to Insurance.
No shows & Missed appointments
No Show Fee for an Initial Psychiatric Consultation - $250
No Show Fee for a Follow Up Visit - $150
No Show fees cannot be billed to Insurance.
No shows are appointments that are missed without prior notification or cancellation.
It is considered a No Show to your appointment when you are 15 or more minutes late to a scheduled appointment.
1 attempt will be made to reach you during your visit time as a courtesy reminder. You must join the appointment before it has been 15 minutes from your appointment start time.
3 or more no shows within 1 calendar year will result in termination of the patient-physician relationship and a termination letter will be sent.
ONE TIME FEE EXEMPTION FOR ESTABLISHED PATIENTS OF THE PRACTICE: All follow-up patients are given 1 waived cancellation/no-show fee. This does not apply to new patient appointments unless it is a documented emergency.
Standard Appointment Policy
Follow up patients are recommended to be seen every 3-4 months at minimum.. For controlled medications, every 3 months is mandatory by law and may require more frequent follow-up.
Appointments are typically more frequent at the beginning of treatment and during periods of acuity.
Most often medication management continues for several years or even longer; because of this variability, please ask your physician what can be expected in your case.
It is your right to determine your goals for treatment and how long you want to remain a patient of this practice.
If you go >six months without a visit, we will send a termination letter, as this indicates you may have decided to receive care elsewhere or no longer wish to continue with our services.
If you receive a termination letter, you may re-establish your care by scheduling an appointment. However, repeated noncompliance with this policy may result in discharge from the practice.
Communication
Any clinical communication should be completed through the online patient portal.
For general administrative communication, not related to private health information, email is acceptable.
Texts are not accepted on our phone lines.
Calls are not answered while patients are being seen and you will be directed to leave a voicemail which will typically be answered in 1-2 business days. In your voice message you should include your name, date of birth, reason for call and call back number.
If a detailed clinical question or health update is left on the portal or voicemail, you will be redirected to make an appointment so that we can have a more detailed discussion and it can be documented as part of your medical record.
Calls over 5 minutes will be subject to a charge (Phone calls 6 to 10 minutes long: $50), unless we agree to convert the call over to a telehealth appointment if time permits.
Emergencies
Alaire Psychiatry PLLC is NOT a 24/7 emergency provider and portal messages, emails and voicemails are not monitored after office hours or on weekends.
If you are in crisis and need immediate assistance:
Call 911 or visit your nearest emergency room
Call 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline)
Other Free Support Lines:
National Maternal Mental Health Hotline - 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262): Available 24/7 https://mchb.hrsa.gov/programs-impact/national-maternal-mental-health-hotline
For residents of Illinois: 866-364-MOMS (6667): A free, 24/7 hotline for perinatal depression that offers support, information, and resources. The hotline is staffed by licensed mental health professionals and can provide therapy and psychiatry referrals, support groups, and other community-based needs. You can call this number regardless of whether you are a patient of Endeavor Health.
Resources for partners & dads: PSI helpline 1-800-944-4773 https://www.postpartum.net/get-help/help-for-dads/
Controlled Substance Policy
It is mandatory that patients on any controlled medications need to be seen at minimum every 3 months.
Patients on schedule II medications (ie: stimulants) are recommended to be seen every 2 months, at minimum every 3 months.
If it has been > 3 months from your last appointment, controlled substances cannot be refilled until after an appointment is completed.
Patients on controlled substances must be seen for at least 1 in person visit. Due to frequent changes in federal laws as a result of the COVID Pandemic regarding the prescription of controlled substances via telehealth (Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008), I will not prescribe controlled substances to patients who are unable to come in for an in-person visit and follow through with required regulations.
It is important to take these medications as prescribed, and not to increase or change your dose without specifically discussing with me. In the case that you change your medication dose on your own and run out early, I will not provide an early refill and you may experience withdrawal symptoms.
Termination of Treatment
Reasons for termination from Alaire Psychiatry practice will include but are not limited to:
Repeated non-compliance with standard appointment policy.
Abusiveness or aggression towards physician & staff
Frequent no shows/late cancellations
Pending/unpaid invoices 90 days after appointment date without agreement to a payment plan.
Non-compliance with payment plan contract
Inability of the physician to be able to provide you with the care that is recommended (in which this will be discussed 1:1 and if available, alternative referrals will be given).
Privacy
We are committed to protecting your privacy and confidentiality. We adhere to all regulations set forth by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to ensure that your personal and medical information is kept secure. Your trust is important to us.
While HIPAA protects patient privacy, there are certain exemptions where psychiatrists may be required to disclose patient information without consent. Some of the key exemptions include:
Mandated Reporting: Psychiatrists are required by law to report certain situations, such as:
Child abuse or neglect: If a psychiatrist suspects a patient is a victim of child abuse or neglect, they must report it to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).
Elder abuse or neglect: Similar to child abuse, psychiatrists are mandated reports of cases of elder abuse or neglect to Illinois Department on Aging’s Adult Protective Services.
Harm to self or others:
Emergency Services: If a psychiatrist believes a patient is at immediate risk of harming themselves or others.
Law Enforcement: If a patient poses a threat to others, the psychiatrist may contact local police to intervene and prevent harm.
Court Orders: If a court issues a subpoena requiring the release of patient information or testimony, the mental health provider may be required to disclose information, although the court may still require a review of the request to ensure it’s valid and necessary.
The Illinois Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act (740 ILCS 110): this law establishes privilege of confidential communications between a psychotherapist (such as a psychiatrist or psychologist) and a patient. It provides that a psychotherapist cannot be compelled to testify about confidential communications between them and a patient unless:
The patient waives the privilege.
The disclosure is made under specific legal exceptions (e.g., court orders or imminent harm).
Insurance and Billing
Patient information may be shared with insurance companies or third-party payers for billing purposes or to verify treatment.
In each of these situations, psychiatrists are still required to share only the minimum amount of information necessary to comply with the legal or safety requirement.
Patient Portal
The patient portal is for established patients of the practice. Once you have your first visit, you can register for the patient portal below.
Alaire Psychiatry Patient Portal: https://alairepsychiatry.intakeq.com
To book an appointment:
Log in to the patient portal
On the top right select “BOOK”
Click on your appointment type and select an appointment time from the calendar.
Enter your basic information, select how you would like your appointment reminder, and confirm.
Reschedule or cancel an appointment:
Log in to the patient portal
On the menu to the left, select “Appointments”
Click on “Actions” and select reschedule or cancel.
You will be reminded of the cancellation policy before confirming.
Follow up appointments are automatically confirmed.
You will receive an email and/or text message with a link to any required forms and if the doctor is no longer available at that time you will receive an email indicating such.
About 1 hour prior to your confirmed appointment, you will receive an email and/or text message with the zoom link for your appointment. Please click on this to access your appointment