Practice Policies

Welcome To My Practice

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The following page contains information regarding my office policies that you may find useful.  Patients will be asked to sign a copy of this form which can be printed from the Office Forms section of the home page. I provide psychiatric evaluations and consultations, medication management, and psychotherapy services.  My office hours are Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.  You may leave a message on the office phone (703-749-3003) at any time and my office assistant or myself will return your call as soon as possible. 

I.  Evaluation and Treatment

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A.  Evaluation: All new patients will receive a complete psychiatric evaluation, which may include a request for a medical examination, laboratory/medical studies, a psychological evaluation, collateral information, and previous records.  This evaluation may require several sessions, depending on the nature of the concern(s).  At the end of the evaluation, I will provide treatment recommendations.  The evaluation process does not commit either of us to continuing treatment if this does not appear to be appropriate or in your best interest.

B.  Confidentiality: All patient information is confidential and can not be released to a third party except by specific authorization by the patient.  Please be aware that your insurance company may require that you provide authorization for them to review your records if you want them to provide reimbursement for services.  An important exception to confidentiality is mandated by law in the event of the threat of dangerousness to yourself or to another person, or in the event of disclosure of child abuse.  Finally, please be aware that patient records can be subpoenaed in certain legal situations.

C.  Therapy: Should you choose to make a commitment to either psychotherapy or pharmacological therapy or both, you are entitled to an explanation of your treatment plan.  We both need to have a clear understanding of your treatment goals and to actively participate toward achieving these goals. Please ask to review your treatment plan at any time if you have any questions or concerns.

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I do ask that you not end psychotherapy abruptly.  You may of course end therapy at any time without obligation beyond payment due for past services.  However, it is usually in a patient's best interest to achieve adequate closure from a course of therapy.  If you should decide to end therapy, I ask that you schedule a final session to discuss your reasons, and receive recommendations for follow-up care, including referrals to other treatment providers if appropriate.

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If I am prescribing medications for you and you are receiving therapy from another clinician, the following are my policies:

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1. You must give consent for full communication between myself, your therapist, and any other medical or psychological treatment providers about any medical or psychiatric treatment concerns.

2. Abrupt termination with your therapist may result in the termination of our relationships.  If this occurs, appropriate referrals for follow-up care will be given.

3.  Should a non-medication related emergency arise, you should contact your therapist directly.

 

You must arrange appropriate medical care on an ongoing basis if you do not already have an internist, general or family practitioner.  This will include yearly laboratory evaluations.  If you have not had a physical or laboratory exam in the past year, I may ask you to do so.

 

I may at some point recommend therapy depending on the course of treatment.  If in my opinion this becomes imperative, and you are not able to agree to this, I may refer you to another treatment provider for medication management.

 

Either of us at any time can reevaluate our therapeutic relationship.  Please feel free to raise concerns or ask for a second opinion.  I may request a second opinion or consultation as well.  If it becomes clear that our relationship has become ineffective or non-therapeutic, I may suggest that you seek alternative care, and I will provide you with referrals. 

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II.   Insurance Coverage and Payment

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Please note that I am currently not a participating provider with any managed care plans or insurance companies.  I do not participate with Medicare.  I ask for payment at the time of service, and will provide a receipt for payment if you request.  This documentation is accepted by all insurance companies.  You are responsible for submitting your claim to the appropriate insurance company.  Even though I do not participate with insurance plans, many plans will reimburse you for my services.  Please call your insurance company or benefits manager to find out how much reimbursement you may receive.

 

All reimbursement should be made directly to you.  I do not accept direct payment from insurance companies.  The surest way for you to receive all the money you are due is to submit a claim directly and be reimbursed directly.  If you are having difficulty obtaining your insurance reimbursement, the most effective course of action is to consult your benefits manager or employer.  This is the person who pays the premium for all the insured employees at your place of employment and who can most effectively intervene on your behalf in the event of an insurance problem.

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Please be aware that insurance companies require that a diagnosis be submitted with each bill in order to receive reimbursement.  If you have concerns about this, please feel free to discuss them. 

III.  Cancellation Policy

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If you provide two business days notice (via voice mail) of your need to cancel an appointment, you will not be charged for that time.  If you cancel less than two business days in advance or miss an appointment, you will be charged for that time unless I have been able to schedule another patient for the session that you had reserved.  This policy does not apply if there are unexpected emergent circumstances. Should you cancel your regularly scheduled appointment, I will attempt to reschedule in the same week.  If you cancel a regularly scheduled appointment more than twice in a row, I may not be able to reserve that time for you in the future. 

IV.  Coverage

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I share vacation and weekend coverage with several psychiatrists.  A psychiatrist, either myself or one of the other members of the coverage group, is always available.  A psychiatrist will be available for emergencies when I am on vacation.  Coverage services primarily address medication emergencies or emergencies that might require hospitalization.  My voice mail will direct you to call me or one of the other covering physicians on call.  I will inform you as far in advance as possible of scheduled vacation times.
 
V. Emergencies

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In the event of a medical or psychiatric emergency, please call your family physician or go to the nearest emergency room.  If an urgent matter that requires Dr. Bir's consultation, please call 703-349-3003 and leave a message or try to reach him on his cell phone as directed on the answer machine.  Your call will be returned as soon as possible.  If your urgent matter becomes an emergency before Dr. Bir is able to call you back call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

VI.  Policies Changes

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These practice policies will be reviewed and may be amended every August 1st.