Practice Policies

TeleHealth

Dr. Mary Singeltary, LLC does not maintain a physical office space for patients to visit in person. At this time services are strictly provided through a HIPAA compliant telehealth platform. While many people find telehealth to be convenient, it is not always enjoyed by or appropriate for everyone. If you are not able to participate in telehealth psychiatry appointments, this practice does not offer in person services. Please seek care with another psychiatric provider in your area.

*Please note that the patient must be located in the state of Ohio where Dr. Singeltary is licensed at the time of all telehealth appointments.

* All patients are required to use the HIPAA compliant video telehealth platform provided by Dr. Mary Singeltary, LLC. We understand that occasionally there will be technical difficulties that prevent a good internet connection. Dr. Mary Singeltary, LLC reserves the right to cancel or reschedule visits in which connectivity problems or poor video/audio quality interferes with communication or quality of services provided. In some cases, the appointment can be conducted via telephone; however this is a case by case decision between the patient and doctor and is not the preferred or required mode of communication for subsequent visits.

*Please also note that if you are using out of network benefits to be compensated for a portion of your visit, some insurance providers will not pay for telehealth or telephone visits. It is your responsibility to be familiar with the requirements of your insurance provider.

* Patients are expected to conduct all appointments with the video and audio on and all parties who are participating in the video visit should remain in view of the camera to optimize assessment and treatment.

**During COVID 19 Emergency Crisis certain restrictions on telehealth services have been waived so some policies regarding telehealth services may be updated and subject to change as a result of the COVID 19 Emergency Crisis ending in Ohio.
Most notably, patients who are prescribed controlled substances will likely have to be seen once a year in person after the end of the state of emergency in Ohio. For patient's affected by this policy, details will be provided at a later date on how and when that requirement will be met for the patient.

Self-Pay, Out-of-Network

Dr. Mary Singeltary, LLC does not contract with any commercial or third party insurance payers.

If you have out of network benefits, you maybe able to collect some reimbursement from your insurance company for visits but it is your responsibility to contact your insurance payer to discuss your options and fulfill any requirements they may have for claim submissions.

Dr. Mary Singeltary, LLC can provide patients with a "superbly" which is an itemized health care receipt but it is the sole responsibility of the patient or patient representative to submit claims with the insurance company. We cannot make any guarantees of insurance reimbursement, and some insurances may require additional documentation, contracting, or business information we are unable to provide. Administrative fees for doing insurance paperwork and responding to insurance inquiries sometimes exceed the reimbursement patients receive from their insurance. If insurance reimbursement is a priority, we recommend pursuing an in-network practice instead of working with this office.

Also if you are planning to utilize out of network benefits, keep in mind that insurance payers may have policies about reimbursement for telehealth visits could change after the state of emergency declaration for COVID-19 has ended. It is your responsibility to work with your insurance company in identifying any changes in coverage that make occur over the course of treatment.

Because doctor visits are considered an IRS-qualified medical expense, patients who have Healthcare Savings Account (HSA) funds may use the funds to pay for the cost of their visits. Please use the contact information on the back of your card if you have questions on how to submit the necessary documentation.

Fees/Payment

Credit card payment information will be required to schedule an appointment online.

All fees are due at the time of the service.

New patient consultations current fee $250. New patient visits usually last 60 minutes. The new patient visit fee is not just for the visit, but also the additional time that it takes to review patient questionnaires, chart reviews, collecting and reviewing relevant medical information, and collaboration with other providers such as therapists, primary care doctors, etc. when indicated.
Follow-up visits range from $120-$200 and are billed based on services provided and time. Follow-ups usually range from 25 to 50 minutes and are scheduled about every 1-4 weeks until there is improvement in symptoms. Once a patient's symptoms have improved and no active medication changes are being made, appointments can be spaced out to longer durations but usually do not exceed a 12 week time frame if patients require monitoring of prescription medications.
Phone calls, secure messaging, prior authorizations, documentation, FMLA forms, school forms, letters, and other services requiring more than 5 minutes are generally billed in 15 minute blocks at a a rate of $50 per 15 minute time block.
- Most simple forms such as authorization to administer medication forms can be completed during the last 5 minutes of an appointment and will not require an additional fee.
- To minimize the amount of time necessary to complete these forms, please have as much information as possible already filled out and upload the document to the portal prior to your appointment to minimize the time needed to process your request.
- Please note that Dr. Singeltary does not make medication changes by phone or secure messaging unless a patient is experiencing an urgent side effect or an arrangement was already made with the doctor at the previous appointment.
- Dr. Singeltary does not conduct disability, competency, forensic, or custody evaluations and will not complete forms/documentation for the purpose of those requests.
Missed Appointment Fee. 24 hours notice is required to reschedule or cancel an appointment. These requests can be made by calling the office number or sending a patient portal message. If 24 hour notice is not provided, Dr. Mary Singeltary, LLC may charge the full amount of the patient appointment time that was scheduled. We understand that emergencies and unexpected events happen. As a courtesy 1 missed appointment fee per year may be waived for established patients. Because there is a significant time commitment required for a new patient evaluation in addition to the actual scheduled appointment time, no missed appointment fees will be waived for late cancellations or missed appointments for new patient evaluations. Dr. Mary Singeltary, LLC reserves the right to discharge any patient from the practice and terminate care for any patient who is repeatedly in violation of the 24 hour cancellation policy.

Low Acuity Practice

Dr. Mary Singeltary, LLC is a solo physician practice and does not provide 24/7 care or after hours coverage. While a small practice can offer some benefits like highly personal and individualized care, it is not a good option for patients or families with high acuity needs such as complex medical comorbidities, frequent hospitalizations, or need for significant support outside of regularly scheduled appointments.