Policy and Procedures

Office Hours and Emergencies

Our office operates Monday through Friday, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM CST, and is closed on major holidays. We do not offer emergency, crisis, weekend, or after-hours services. For life-threatening emergencies, please go to the nearest emergency room or dial 911 without delay.

Appointments

Late Arrival Policy Patients arriving more than 5 minutes late may need to reschedule, but exceptions may be made at staff discretion or an abbreviated visit may be arranged. Please notify us as soon as possible if you are running late and aim to arrive approximately 10 minutes early for administrative needs.
Cancellation Policy To avoid a full fee charge, cancellations should be made at least 24 hours in advance. Late cancellations are subject to a fee if made within 24 hours of the appointment.
No-Show and Late Cancellation Policy Three no-shows or late cancellations within a 9-month period may result in termination of our professional relationship.
Follow-Up Appointment Responsibility While staff may confirm appointments, it is the patient’s responsibility to attend follow-up appointments for continuity of care.
Telephone Consultation Policy Patients should contact their mental health provider for issues that can be managed in a 5-10 minute phone call. Longer consultations may incur charges as per the Fee Schedule for Telephone Consultations.
Contact Information Update Policy Patients must inform the clinic of any changes to their contact information annually.

Medication prescription and refill policy

Refills and Appointments: Your provider will give you enough medication until your next appointment. For safety reasons, they won’t prescribe more than a 90-day supply without seeing you (30-day supply for controlled medications). It is your responsibility to contact the office for a refill, either by phone or email. We recommend calling five business days before your medication runs out. First, check with your pharmacy for refills to minimize errors. Make sure your pharmacy has our correct contact details and knows we use E-prescribe.
Appointment Compliance: Failing to attend appointments can disrupt your treatment and raise the likelihood of relapse.
Controlled Substance Policy: Your provider may hold off on refilling prescriptions for controlled substances until a drug screening result (UDS) and EKG report is received, according to their instructions.
Storage Responsibility: You are required to keep your medication, especially controlled substances, in a secure and locked place. If you lose a prescription or med bottle, allow a prescription to expire, or spontaneously increase the dose, an appointment may be required to monitor compliance and medical necessity.
Benzodiazepines: These include brand names such as Xanax, Klonopin, Valium and Ativan. Healthy Regards Psychiatry mental health providers, as a policy, do not regularly start these medications as their potential for harm far outweighs their benefit. Please note that benzodiazepines will only be prescribed in very specific cases. If you are currently taking benzodiazepines, your provider will assist you in safely tapering off the medication for your overall health benefit. Please consider this policy when scheduling your appointment.
Medication Prior Authorization: Please obtain your formulary list before your visit to ensure prescribed medications are covered by your insurance. This allows you to discuss alternatives if needed, helping to avoid unexpected pharmacy charges.

Labs

In certain situations, labs may need to be ordered. Please be aware that the cost of labs is separate from your visit charges. It is your responsibility to inquire about the fees from the lab of your choosing.

Confidentiality

Contact Information: The clinic understands the need to keep your matters confidential, and we will act in good-faith to maintain your matters private. Please use caution in leaving us home or work numbers to call you back, as leaving an email, voice message or conversing may jeopardize your confidentiality if other people share your voicemail or email. Please keep your contact information current.
Release of Information Authorization: Staff or providers may require a release in order to speak to family members or other providers, unless the clinic believes in good faith there is an emergency and it serves your best interests (principle of beneficence). Please ask the office staff for releases for anyone you would like to have access to your information ahead of time or download the Release of Information form at
Access to Protected Health Information: Certain 3rd party payers, labs, courts and other entities may need access to some of your protected health information (PHI). Please see the HIPAA statement. While patient confidentiality is protected and highly valued, exceptions to provider-patient confidentiality do exist pursuant to state and federal law.

Financial Policies and Fees

Insurance Responsibilities: Patients assume responsibility for all medical expenses accrued. While we conduct insurance benefit verification as a courtesy, this does not constitute a guarantee of coverage or payment. Patients are expected to familiarize themselves with the specifics of their insurance plan and settle any charges not covered.
Credit Card Authorization: Patients grant Healthy Regards Psychiatry permission to retain a credit card on file. This card may be used to cover costs not reimbursed by insurance, including fees for missed appointments, late cancellations, and requested paperwork.
Missed Appointments and Cancellations: To avoid charges for missed appointments or late cancellations, timely notification is essential. Missed or canceled appointments without a 24 hour notice, will be charged $50 to the patient. Please provide notice within the specified time frame before your appointment to prevent this charge. We appreciate your cooperation.
Self pay Fees:
- Initial Psychiatric Evaluation: $290
- Follow-Up Medication Refill: $125
- Initial Session for Counseling/Therapy: $160
- Follow-up Session for Counseling/Therapy: $140
- FMLA paperwork: $100

Scope of Services

We DO NOT provide emergency services or treat severe mental illness, so there is no on-call provider.
Our practice does not engage in Forensic or Occupational Psychiatry. We do not participate in worker’s compensation cases, divorce or child custody matters, fit-for-duty evaluations, disability assessments or paperwork, or any other legal issues such as providing testimony or reports for civil matters.
We do not provide treatment for unstable, actively psychotic patients with Schizophrenia or Acute Psychotic Disorders. These individuals typically require case management and a higher level of care. We also do not offer social services or case management.

Medical records

To obtain a copy of your medical records, you are required to sign a Release of Information (ROI) form to our office. Please note that the processing time for releasing records may be up to five business days.

Behavior

While we aim to deliver excellent outpatient care to our patients, any behavior that threatens our staff or clinicians—including direct or indirect threats, lewd behavior, verbal abuse, yelling, or property damage—may lead to immediate termination of our professional relationship. Please conduct yourself in a respectful manner at all times.
Intentionally misleading our staff or clinicians may result in termination of our professional relationship, depending on the situation.

After Hour Resources

Services will be provided to the patient within normal business hours. We do not check emails or phone messages after business hours or on weekends. If you call during our operating hours, we will respond to your call or email within 24 hours.
In case of an emergency, the patient should not call the Healthy Regards Psychiatry clinic; instead, call 911 for medical emergencies or (877) 422-5939 for the suicide hotline for Collin County. Also you may go to a local Emergency Room, urgent care clinic or psychiatric hospital.

Compliance

It is our hope and expectation that patients are motivated to work towards improving their mental health
It is the responsibility of the patients to comply with mutually agreed-upon treatment plans and recommendations from the clinician
Repeated instances of non-compliance (failure to get labs, failure to follow-up with therapists, self-medicating, and others) will be considered potentially hazardous and a violation of office policy. This may result in termination of the patient-provider relationship
Treatment is based on the informed consent of the patient. If you have any questions or concerns regarding medications or other aspects of treatment, please query your provider. Do not consent to any medication or other intervention before considering yourself adequately informed.

Adolescents

Treatment is based on the informed consent of the patient and parent. Parents are expected to be available during the initial appointment. All follow-up appointments can be scheduled for the adolescent patient, but the parent will be contacted for any medication changes or the start of any new medication.