Policies

Financial Policy: Amethyst Holistic Health, PLLC will bill for all appointments unless initially billing insurance. In the initial process of credentialing Amethyst Holistic Health, PLLC will charge all appointments unless able to bill insurance retroactively after credentialing. For payment of appointments or copay, debit or credit card are preferred. In some instances, cash via PayPal or checks may be accepted. Any returned checks/payments are subject to a $30 service fee. Any returned check or payment due must be resolved before any future appointments can be arranged.

Payment Policy: All payments are due at the time of services. All payments can be made online with a debit or credit card. Each client will be asked to keep a major credit card on file. Payment for the appointment will be automatically pulled from the account following the appointment, and an invoice will be emailed. If the client is unable to provide a credit/debit card, an alternative may be approved on a case by case basis. After two notices or two months (whichever is sooner) without payment or arrangement between client and provider, outstanding balances will be sent to collections with additional collections fee added. Appointments cannot be made if prior appointments are not paid, or payment arrangements are late. Automatic withdrawal from a credit card will be the default method of payment unless otherwise discussed between client and provider. Copays are due at the time of appointment.

Medication Policy: Medication renewal will occur during the medication follow-up visit with the prescribing provider. No medication will be prescribed over the phone routinely. Any written script for a controlled substance which is lost will not be re-written. The patient must wait for the next eligibility date for the provider to prescribe any script for a controlled substance prescription which has expired because this requires a return appointment. If a controlled substance prescription has been stolen, the patient will be required to provide a copy of the filed police report to be re-written. In order to ensure medication safety, no more than 2 controlled substances can be prescribed to a patient at any time including but not limited to medications prescribed by a different healthcare provider. Illicit substances may also interfere with the efficacy of psychotropic medication including cannabis and alcohol. The provider may not initiate medication or ask for sobriety prior to initiating medication if substance abuse is evident.

Amethyst Holistic Health, PLLC reserves the right to drug test patients prior to or during medication management. Adequately screening for substances that may interact dangerously like illicit and prescribed drugs is essential to prevent severe injury to our patients.

Refill requests: Please call your pharmacy prior to contacting the office for medication refills because the pharmacy most likely will have refills available on file. If a refill is needed, you must have your pharmacy fax us a request at least 7 days in advance. Please note that the pharmacy is unable to request refills for controlled substances and controlled substance refills cannot be sent to your pharmacy if you do not have a scheduled follow-up appointment with the provider.

Documentation requests: Please allow a minimum of at least 7 business days for the provider to complete any paperwork or letters of support on your behalf including but not limited to emotional support animal (ESA) letters, work accommodation letters, housing accommodation letters, or faxing your medical records for continuity of care or collaboration with your other health care providers. Please note that the provider is often unable to complete urgent or same-day documentation requests and the expected timeline to complete any documentation requests does not include weekends or holidays. In our efforts to provide honest, accurate, and substantial information on your behalf for any accommodation, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) paperwork, or short-term disability paperwork, you must be a patient at the practice who has received mental health services consistently (attending at least biweekly or monthly appointments) for at least 6 months.

Amethyst Holistic Health, PLLC is unable to complete any paperwork for long-term or permanent mental disability.

PATIENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Patient Rights:

The patient has the right to considerate and respectful care and treatment, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, age, culture, disabilities, or religious beliefs.

The patient has the right to have their care and treatment information kept private and have the opportunity to have their records released only with their written permission, except when required by law.

The patient has a right to make informed choices regarding their medications, behavioral health services, and their providers.

The patient has a right to expect reasonable continuity of care.

The patient has the right to examine and receive an explanation of costs for treatment as applicable.

The patient has the right to know what relationship Amethyst Holistic Health, PLLC has with other health care providers and facilities in regard to their health care.

The patient has the right to inquire as to their provider's degree, licensure, and training.

The patient has the right to inquire as to the role of the providers on the treatment team in the treatment process.

The patient has the right to an explanation of their condition and the treatment options.

The patient has the right to expect that Amethyst Holistic Health, PLLC will make a reasonable effort in providing the identified services of the treatment plan.

The patient has the right to be informed if Amethyst Holistic Health, PLLC is engaging in research about behavioral health care and has the right to refuse participation in that research.

The patient has the right to register complaints to their behavioral health care professional and/or an administrator.

Patient Responsibilities:

The patient has the responsibility to treat those providing care with dignity and respect.

The patient has the responsibility to ask questions regarding the diagnosis, treatment, medications, or any instructions.

The patient has the responsibility to follow instructions concerning medications, follow-up visits, and other essential components of their treatment and to notify their behavioral health care provider if the instructions cannot be followed or if problems develop.

The patient has the responsibility to assist Amethyst Holistic Health, PLLC in obtaining approvals for payments for treatment, referrals, and authorizations.

The patient has the responsibility to provide as much information as possible to their provider to assist in the assessment and rendering of services.

APPOINTMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS

The standard meeting time for the initial visit is 45-60 minutes and follow-up visits are 15-30 minutes.

Appointment /Cancellation Policy: All appointments should be kept as scheduled to ensure consistency in the treatment process. Cancellations and re-scheduled visits will be subject to a $100 fee without a 48-hour notice or non-appearance for a scheduled visit. This is necessary because a time commitment is made to you and is held exclusively for you. If you are late for an appointment, you may lose some of the allotted time for that appointment. As a general rule for medication management, patients must be seen at minimum every 3 months after medications are stabilized.

Please note that telehealth regulations require you to be physically located in the state of North Carolina during the time of your scheduled appointment to receive treatment. If you are out-of-state at the time of your scheduled appointment, the provider will not be able to provide services to you and the appointment will have to be rescheduled at that time and is subject to the late cancellation fee of $100.

TELEPHONE ACCESSIBILITY

If you need to contact Amethyst Holistic Health, PLLC between sessions, please call our main number to leave a voicemail or send us a message through the patient portal. We are often not immediately available; however, we will attempt to return your call/voicemail or message within 48-72 business hours. Phone calls made for treatment purposes may be charged a fee. Phone calls for matters of short duration will not be charged. Please note that face-to-face visits are highly preferable to phone visits. However, in the event that you are sick or need additional support, phone sessions are available. If a true emergency situation arises, please call 911 or go to your local emergency room.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND TELECOMMUNICATION

Due to the importance of your confidentiality and the importance of minimizing dual relationships, the provider does not accept friend or contact requests from current or former clients on any social networking sites (i.e. Facebook, LinkedIn, etc) as this can compromise your confidentiality and our respective privacy. The provider respects your personal boundaries both during and outside of scheduled sessions and aims to prevent any potential blurring of boundaries within our patient-provider therapeutic relationship to optimize your overall mental health and wellness.

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION

We cannot ensure the confidentiality of any form of communication through electronic media, including, but not limited to, text messages, telephone communication, the Internet, facsimile machines, and e-mail. Telepsychiatry is broadly defined as the use of information technology to deliver medical services and information between two parties that are at different locations. The above electronic means of communication are considered telepsychiatry. Utilizing telepsychiatry services through Amethyst Holistic Health, PLLC is voluntary in nature and you need to understand:

1.     You have the right to withhold or withdraw your consent for telepsychiatry services at any time. If this occurs, you need to understand that we cannot provide care for you any longer as Amethyst Holistic Health, PLLC is strictly a telepsychiatry practice.

2.     We will protect your protected health information in the same fashion as a brick-and-mortar practice. You need to understand though that data breaches can happen, and we cannot assure your information is 100% protected.

3.     We will not use your protected health information for research purposes unless you give us consent to do so.

4.     There are potential benefits, risks, and subsequent consequences of telepsychiatry. Potential benefits include, but are not limited to improved access to care, reducing costs, improving the quality of visits, and reduction of travel time associated with medical visits. The medical provider will make assessments, diagnoses, and treatment plans based off all the visual and auditory information provided during the video conference. You must understand that this is limited and poses potential risks including, but not limited to the provider’s inability to make complete diagnostic assessments that might require a physical exam and to see the patient in person. During an in-person encounter, a medical provider has the ability to see the entire patient including but not limited to their gait, smell, general appearance, and demeanor. Potential consequences thus include the provider not being aware of clinically significant information that you may not recognize as significant to present verbally to the provider.

MINORS

We require parental consent for all visits done through telepsychiatry. We require your parents to be present during a portion of the visit to ensure that they are consenting to treatment.

If you are a minor, your parents may be legally entitled to some information about your treatment. We will discuss with you and your parents what information is appropriate for them to receive and which issues are more appropriately kept confidential.

TERMINATION

We can terminate treatment with you at any time. We will not terminate the medical relationship with you without first discussing and exploring the reasons and purpose of terminating. If treatment is terminated for any reason, we will provide you with a list of qualified providers to continue your care. You may also choose someone on your own or from another referral source. Should you fail to not show up for your follow-up appointments for 3 consecutive months, not obtain lab work in a timely fashion or are non-compliant with treatment, unless other arrangements have been made in advance, for legal and ethical reasons, we must consider the professional relationship discontinued.