Office Policies

The following office policies and the payment provisions described below are strictly followed. By consenting to treatment, patients accept these policies and agree to abide by them.

Hours of Operation

Monday - Friday

8:00 am - 5:00 pm


Appointment requests for evenings and weekends may be available depending on the therapist and upon request.

Emergency & After Hours Contact Procedure

In the case of a life threatening emergency, dial 911 prior to attempting to call anyone else. ● In the case of a non-life threatening emergency (defined as the need to make contact due to a serious emotional situation or crisis) please contact your local hospital or Mobile Crisis Assessment Team (MCAT). MCAT is available to anyone seeking crisis intervention services in Oneida, Herkimer, Schoharie, Otsego, Delaware and Chenango counties. You may call (315) 732-6228 or (844) 732-6228 24-Hours a Day, 7-Days a Week

● Urgent calls will be returned within 24 hours between the hours of 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM Monday through Friday.


PHONE MESSAGES

Phone messages are retrieved regularly during normal business hours. Please indicate the best time and direct number to reach you and a staff member will return the call as soon as possible.

● After 5:00 PM Fridays, phone messages are retrieved no later than Monday morning.


EMAIL CONTACT

For non-emergency correspondence that cannot wait until the next scheduled meeting, please use the contact us form via the website or your clinicians email address.


PAYMENTS & INSURANCE BILLING

Payment is due at the time services are provided. If your appointment is not covered by insurance, full payment or your insurance co-pay can be made via cash, check, debit or credit card. Master Card, Visa, or American Express are accepted*. If insurance is covering your treatment, the office must be made aware and also have a copy of your insurance card on file. Your insurance will be billed after each session. Most insurance companies require a co-payment, which is the sole responsibility of the client (or legal guardian) and is collected at the time of treatment.

*Please note, A $50 service fee will be added for any returned checks.

No Surprises Act

Good Faith Estimate Effective January 1, 2022, a ruling went into effect called the "No Surprises Act" which requires practitioners to provide a "Good Faith Estimate" about out-of-network care. The Good Faith Estimate works to show the cost of items and services that are reasonably expected for your health care needs for an item or service, a diagnosis, and a reason for therapy. The estimate is based on information known at the time the estimate was created. The Good Faith Estimate does not include any unknown or unexpected costs that may arise during treatment. You could be charged more if complications or special circumstances occur and will be provided a new "Good Faith Estimate" should this occur. If this happens, federal law allows you to dispute (appeal) the bill if you and your therapist have not previously talked about the change and you have not been given an updated good faith estimate. 

Under Section 2799B-6 of the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), health care providers and health care facilities are required to inform individuals who are not enrolled in a plan or coverage or a Federal health care program, or not seeking to file a claim with their plan or coverage both orally and in writing of their ability, upon request, or at the time of scheduling health care items and services to receive a "Good Faith Estimate" of expected charges. 

Note: The PHSA and GFE does not currently apply to any clients who are using insurance benefits, including "out of network benefits'' (i.e.., submitting superbills to insurance for reimbursement). 

Timeline requirements: Practitioners are required to provide a good faith estimate of expected charges for a scheduled or requested service, including items or services that are reasonably expected to be provided in conjunction with such scheduled or requested item or service.” That estimate must be provided within specified timeframes: 

• If the service is scheduled at least three business days before the appointment date, no later than one 

business day after the date of scheduling; 

• If the service is scheduled at least 10 business days before the appointment date, no later than three 

business days after the date of scheduling; or If the uninsured or self-pay patient requests a good faith estimate (without scheduling the service), no later than three business days after the date of the request. A new good faith estimate must be provided, within the specified timeframes if the patient reschedules the requested item or service. 

Common Services at You Fit Counseling LCSW PLLC

  • 90791: Initial therapy intake (not timed)

  • 90837: Ongoing therapy appointments (approx. 55 min)

  • 90834: Ongoing therapy appointment (approx. 45 min)

    At You Fit Counseling, we must diagnose all clients for both ethical, legal, and insurance reasons -- as well as required by the " No Surprises Act". This diagnosis is only to satisfy the federal requirement for this form. This is not a formal psychological diagnosis. A formal diagnosis occurs after an assessment has been completed. That will take place 1-5 sessions after beginning psychotherapy. If you choose to decline a formal diagnosis, we will not update this GFE. 

    It is within your rights to decline a diagnosis per state and federal guidelines. 

    Common Diagnosis Codes at You Fit Counseling Below are common diagnosis codes at You Fit Counseling; however, the list is not exhaustive. With that said, diagnosis codes can change based on many factors. Please speak to your therapist with any questions or concerns.

    • Adjustment Disorder (F43.23) 

    • Mental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified (F99) 

    • Depression (F32.9) 

    • Anxiety (F41.1) 

    • Bipolar (F31.9) 

    • PTSD/Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (F43.10)

    You Fit Counseling recognizes every client's therapy journey is unique. How long you need to engage in therapy and how often you attend sessions will be influenced by many factors including 

    but not limited too

    • Your schedule and life circumstances 

    • Therapist availability 

    • Ongoing life challenges 

    • The nature of your specific challenges and how you address them 

    • Personal finances 

    You and your therapist will continually assess the appropriate frequency of therapy and will work together to determine when you have met your goals and are ready for discharge and/or a new "Good Faith Estimate" will be issued should your frequency or needs change 

    The good faith estimate will provide you with the amount you would owe if you were to attend therapy for 52 sessions in a year (weekly, without skipping any weeks for holidays, break, vacation, unplanned events/sickness, etc.). The "Good Faith Estimate" requires practitioners to provide an exact estimate and not a range. Out of an abundance of caution and transparency, we will only quote weekly appointments.

    The Good Faith Estimate shows the costs of items and services that are reasonably expected for your health care needs for an item or service. The estimate is based on information known at the time the estimate is created. It does not include any unknown or unexpected costs that may arise during treatment. You could be charged more if complications or special circumstances occur. If this happens, federal law allows you to dispute (appeal) the bill. 

    If you are billed for more than this Good Faith Estimate, you have the right to dispute the bill. 

    You may contact the health care provider or facility listed to let them know the billed charges are higher than the Good Faith Estimate. You can ask them to update the bill to match the Good Faith Estimate, ask to negotiate the bill, or ask if there is financial assistance available. 

    You may also start a dispute resolution process with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). If you choose to use the dispute resolution process, you must start the dispute process within 120 calendar days (about 4 months) of the date on the original bill. There is a $25 fee to use the dispute process. If the agency reviewing your dispute agrees with you, you will have to pay the price on this Good Faith Estimate. If the agency disagrees with you and agrees with the health care provider or facility, you will have to pay the higher amount. 

    To learn more and get a form to start the process, go to www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call 800-985-3059. For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate or the dispute process, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call 800-985-3059. For good practice, always keep a copy of your Good Faith Estimate in a safe place or take pictures of it.

SCHEDULING, CHANGING, OR CANCELLING APPOINTMENTS

The best way to make/change/cancel appointments is via client portal using the login and password you created during your first appointment. When calling our office to make/change/cancel appointments, please leave the preferred dates and times desired.

CANCELLATION POLICY AND NO SHOW* POLICY

You Fit Counseling LCSW, PLLC understands attending and cancelling appointments can be especially hard due to the various emotional factors that may be involved. We are committed to providing exceptional, quality care; however, this is impossible without consistent follow-up visits with your clinicians. No shows and late cancellations are costly to the practice and limit access to care for other patients. Your appointment time has been reserved for you; therefore, please have the courtesy to attend your scheduled appointment. If you cannot keep your appointment, contact us to cancel/reschedule in accordance with practice policy. If you need to cancel/reschedule, please do so if you need to, for whatever reason!  It’s actually OK to decide for yourself whether or not you want to participate in counseling and to change your mind even if you already have an appointment set up.  Not only does it save you money, you are being respectful of your clinicians time and it also allows them to open up the spot for someone else who may need it.

1. After one missed (no show) scheduled appointment, the patient will be given a verbal and/or written warning letter.

2. You Fit Counseling LCSW, PLLC may place a scheduling hold or be discharged from the practice if you fail to show for three consecutive appointments or three no-show appointments within six months.

3. All no-show appointments are subject to a $30.00 fee.

It is the patient’s responsibility to notify You Fit Counseling LCSW, PLLC of a cancellation at least 24 hours (1 day) in advance of the scheduled appointment to avoid the no show fee. Appointments cancelled less than 24 hours in advance are considered a no show and will be charged the $30.00 fee.

* No shows are calculated based on a consecutive 12-month period. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your appointment to complete the check-in process. If you arrive after your scheduled appointment time, you may be asked to reschedule and be charged a no show fee.


NOTE: You Fit Counseling LCSW, PLLC team members recognize emergencies arise from time to time and a late cancellation cannot be avoided. You Fit Counseling LCSW, PLLC management team will review emergency situations on a case-by-case basis.