Policies
What to Expect
OFFICE POLICIES AND PRIVACY NOTICE
What to Expect.
Children (age 12 and younger):
The initial meeting is between one or more parents and Dr Verna.
During this time detailed history will be gathered and goals of treatment will be explored. The second meeting is with the child alone for 30 minutes, and then with the child and the parents for the remaining 15 minutes. Of course, these are only general guidelines, and your evaluation may differ from this pattern. Parents sometimes choose to involve the child’s pediatrician or school in order to gain a more complete picture of the presenting problems.
It is very important for parents to provide feedback about progress towards goals and to maintain active contact with Dr Verna. Whenever possible, monthly meetings with the parents are very helpful for the child’s treatment.
Adolescents (age 13-18):
Parental consent for treatment is required for adolescents until their 16th birthday. At this age, patients may seek treatment on their own. In most cases, treatment for adolescents follows the same format as for adults (see below). Like for younger children, ongoing contact with parents can be extremely important.
Adults:
During your first visit Dr Verna will work with you to learn about your history, your reasons for seeking care, and your treatment goals. This initial evaluation may consist of one or two 45-minute sessions. After the initial visit or visits, your appointments will last between 30 and 50 minutes depending on the nature of your treatment.
Missed Appointments:
Please contact Dr. Verna at least 48 hours in advance to cancel an appointment. Charges will incur for appointments missed without at least 48-hour notification to Dr. Verna. Patients will be directly responsible for the full regular fee for any missed visits, which is not covered by your insurance carrier. Please keep in mind that missed appointments disrupt your treatment.
Phone Calls:
Please limit your phone calls to timely matters only. For all other matters, please wait until your next appointment to consult with Dr. Verna. Non-emergency calls (appointment rescheduling, etc.) are returned within one to two business days. Whenever Dr. Verna is away from the office for a prolonged period of time, his voicemail greeting will provide contact information for a covering psychiatrist.
In the event of an emergency, DIAL 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
Telephone sessions:
Phone sessions are discouraged and kept to an absolute minimal frequency. However, when a phone session is necessary, it cannot be billed to the insurance company because these are not covered. Therefore, phone sessions will be billed directly to you at the rate for a regular session as reimbursed by your insurance company. You will therefore be directly responsible for payment in full for any telephone sessions.
Medications and Refills:
It is very important to discuss any medication issues such as side effects with your doctors at once. You do not need to wait for your appointment to address these concerns – feel free to call at any time if you have concerns.
For refill requests, please call Dr. Verna at +1-646-202-2921 with the medication required and the pharmacy name and phone number. If clinically appropriate, the refill will be called in or mailed to you within 72 hours.
Minors: Any child or adolescent requires parental consent before medications can be prescribed. No medication decisions involving a minor’s treatment will be made without the explicit approval of at least one parent. It is essential to inform all your child’s doctors of all medications your child is taking and any health problems he or she may have.
Adults: Please make sure that all of your doctors know about all of your medications and health concerns.
Forms:
Patients may sometime need forms filled out for school, life or disability insurance applications, or other reasons. Filling out forms can be very time consuming and insurance carriers do not reimburse for this time. For this reason, patients are financially responsible for time incurred in filling out such forms, billed at the rate of $200 per hour for any form requiring more than 5 minutes to complete.
Privacy Notice
By accepting services from Dr. Verna, you are agreeing to the
HIPAA NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES.
What to Expect.
Children (age 12 and younger):
The initial meeting is between one or more parents and Dr Verna.
During this time detailed history will be gathered and goals of treatment will be explored. The second meeting is with the child alone for 30 minutes, and then with the child and the parents for the remaining 15 minutes. Of course, these are only general guidelines, and your evaluation may differ from this pattern. Parents sometimes choose to involve the child’s pediatrician or school in order to gain a more complete picture of the presenting problems.
It is very important for parents to provide feedback about progress towards goals and to maintain active contact with Dr Verna. Whenever possible, monthly meetings with the parents are very helpful for the child’s treatment.
Adolescents (age 13-18):
Parental consent for treatment is required for adolescents until their 16th birthday. At this age, patients may seek treatment on their own. In most cases, treatment for adolescents follows the same format as for adults (see below). Like for younger children, ongoing contact with parents can be extremely important.
Adults:
During your first visit Dr Verna will work with you to learn about your history, your reasons for seeking care, and your treatment goals. This initial evaluation may consist of one or two 45-minute sessions. After the initial visit or visits, your appointments will last between 30 and 50 minutes depending on the nature of your treatment.
Missed Appointments:
Please contact Dr. Verna at least 48 hours in advance to cancel an appointment. Charges will incur for appointments missed without at least 48-hour notification to Dr. Verna. Patients will be directly responsible for the full regular fee for any missed visits, which is not covered by your insurance carrier. Please keep in mind that missed appointments disrupt your treatment.
Phone Calls:
Please limit your phone calls to timely matters only. For all other matters, please wait until your next appointment to consult with Dr. Verna. Non-emergency calls (appointment rescheduling, etc.) are returned within one to two business days. Whenever Dr. Verna is away from the office for a prolonged period of time, his voicemail greeting will provide contact information for a covering psychiatrist.
In the event of an emergency, DIAL 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
Telephone sessions:
Phone sessions are discouraged and kept to an absolute minimal frequency. However, when a phone session is necessary, it cannot be billed to the insurance company because these are not covered. Therefore, phone sessions will be billed directly to you at the rate for a regular session as reimbursed by your insurance company. You will therefore be directly responsible for payment in full for any telephone sessions.
Medications and Refills:
It is very important to discuss any medication issues such as side effects with your doctors at once. You do not need to wait for your appointment to address these concerns – feel free to call at any time if you have concerns.
For refill requests, please call Dr. Verna at +1-646-202-2921 with the medication required and the pharmacy name and phone number. If clinically appropriate, the refill will be called in or mailed to you within 72 hours.
Minors: Any child or adolescent requires parental consent before medications can be prescribed. No medication decisions involving a minor’s treatment will be made without the explicit approval of at least one parent. It is essential to inform all your child’s doctors of all medications your child is taking and any health problems he or she may have.
Adults: Please make sure that all of your doctors know about all of your medications and health concerns.
Forms:
Patients may sometime need forms filled out for school, life or disability insurance applications, or other reasons. Filling out forms can be very time consuming and insurance carriers do not reimburse for this time. For this reason, patients are financially responsible for time incurred in filling out such forms, billed at the rate of $200 per hour for any form requiring more than 5 minutes to complete.
Privacy Notice
By accepting services from Dr. Verna, you are agreeing to the
HIPAA NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES.
