Practice and Policies

I am pleased that you are considering having me as your doctor. I believe in the natural restorative power of the human body and mind, but am also aware as a physician that we all need help from time to time in order to feel healthy again. To this end, we may discuss and use talk therapy, medication, lifestyle changes, and (what are often called) natural treatments. This is a collaborative process.

It is quite common for patients to come to me with other providers or therapists already involved in their care. It is also common for me to collaborate with other providers. I will ask you to review with me the type of care being provided by other practitioners, in order to enhance individualized care planning.

General Policies

It is important for me to be able to communicate with your family doctor, therapist(s), and any other clinicians who may be involved in your care. I will ask for their contact information and for your consent to speak with them for the sake of quality of care. Please be assured that we will discuss the minimum amount of information to ensure good coordination of care. Please let me know if you have concerns about this, as it is part of my practice style to be able to coordinate care with other providers when needed.

It is expected that you have a current primary care provider (who has met you) to be a patient in this practice.

I will consider doing a "second opinion" evaluation only if the current treating psychiatrist calls me to request this and explains its scope and purpose.

Limitations of This Practice

Some types of services not provided in this practice:

- Forensic evaluations for legal purposes or for use in courts.
- Custody evaluations, or parental assessments for use in determining custody or visitation.
- Disability evaluations.
- Opiate medication prescriptions.
- Suboxone prescriptions (several other physicians in this area do provide this service).

Cancellations and "No-shows"

It is important to have your full participation in treatment, which includes regular attendance. Your appointment represents a mutual commitment to meet. If you do not show up or you cancel an appointment with less than 24 hours’ notice, you can be charged the full fee, as medical insurance does not reimburse for this. If you give over 24 hours’ notice, there is no charge. Extenuating circumstances (such as emergencies) that have interfered with attendance are handled on a case-by-case basis. My voicemail records your message as well as the time of your call.

Doctor’s Absences and After-Hours Calls

My website will list any upcoming vacations or other absences to help you in planning follow-up appointments or medication refills. I strive to return all your more pressing phone calls within 24 hours except during planned absences. There is no charge for brief telephone calls but I reserve the right to charge for extended or excessive calls. If your situation is of an emergent nature ANYTIME, please go call emergency services (in Northampton, 413-586-5555) or go to your nearest emergency room (or call 911).

During extended absences, I have arrangements with another psychiatrist to help with coverage of any clinical needs during routine business hours in my absence.

Medication and Medication Refills

If you are taking medication, you agree to take medication only as prescribed and not to ingest any alcohol or illicit (illegal) drugs. Medication refills should be called into your pharmacy at least five days before running out, to give ample time for communication if needed, and to fix any problems that may arise before you run out (such as unexpected prior authorizations). Concerta, Ritalin, Dexedrine, Adderall, Vyvanse and other stimulant medications cannot be called in, and these prescription refills will need to be picked up by you, which may entail an additional office visit (and charge). You are responsible for monitoring your supply.

Billing, Insurance, and Payments

I will endeavor to keep you informed of any information I receive from the insurance company, but please keep in mind that it is the patient's responsibility to obtain information from his or her insurer about policy coverage and authorization requirements.

Patients will be billed for any balance that the insurance company says is owed by the patient, even if it is the full balance.

Co-payments are due on the date of service.

Feel free to discuss any billing issue with me at our session.

Fees

Fees are based on a clinical “hour” which is usually 45-50 minutes. An initial appointment is an hour, although a longer initial appointment or second appointment is sometimes needed. Follow-up visits can vary from 20 to 50 minutes, or can be as little as 10 minutes for an uncomplicated medication review. Requests for letters, etc., which are not reimbursed by insurance, may be billed at the same rate as extended telephone calls.

Confidentiality and Safety

Your privacy is important to me. I may contact your family doctor and other involved providers or therapist with a summary to assist them in providing integrated care. If this seems not acceptable to you, please let me know no later than our initial evaluation session as this issue would need to be discussed.

If I believe you may be an imminent danger to yourself or others, I will act in accordance with the law, and, if needed, may alert appropriate outside personnel or agencies. If I am concerned about possible abuse, I will need to contact the appropriate authorities.

Medical records in my office practice are kept in electronic format - what is called an EMR or EHR (electronic medical record, or electronic health record) system. The EMR database is not physically located in my office, but is maintained off-site by a professional EMR company. If you have any questions about this, please contact Dr. Zebrun. I also use electronic prescribing except when paper prescriptions are required by law.

Please also see my office’s Notice of Privacy Practices (the common HIPAA notice) for further details, which is available for download here:

Notice of Privacy Practices