Engagement

The basics on billing, scheduling, prescription refills, and cancellation policies. If you have additional questions or do not understand a particular policy, please do not hesitate to ask. Fees are associated by service. If you are unclear on any of the following, please reach out!

Scheduling:

Office hours are by appointment only.

For Initial Consultations, a series of 45-minute appointments—usually three—to review your history and concerns, and provide for feedback and treatment planning. Alternatively,  you can schedule a 90-minute consultation.

For medication management, sessions are scheduled as frequently as warranted by the clinical situation. The standard of medical care for routine follow-up is to schedule an appointment every three months. It is the parent or patient’s responsibility to schedule appointments.

Scheduling Structures and Fees:

Consultations

$1,200 for a 90-minute psychiatric consultation and evaluation; which includes review of relevant documentation, phone calls to clinicians, and/or school contacts.

$700 for a 60-minute adult, couple, or parent consultation.

Psychotherapy

$525 per session

Regularly scheduled sessions on an ongoing basis.

See the Cancellation policy if you need to miss a scheduled appointment.

Psychoanalysis

What is the cost for this?

If the frequency of sessions creates a cost that prevents access to this form of treatment, a modified fee is available. This will be determined on a case by case basis.

Cancellation

You are responsible for sessions cancelled less than a week in advance. With less than one week’s notice, there will be no charge if you are able to reschedule the session, or another patient is able to use your time.

Patients should be aware that missed sessions cannot be billed with a CPT code and may not be covered by insurance.

Flexible Model

$575 per session

Many patients find committing to a regular time every week is not feasible for their schedule, and still wish to make use of the benefits of psychotherapy. Dr. Burton will discuss with you if the Flexible Model is appropriate to meet your needs.

Times reserved under this model require a 48-hour notice to cancel. Scheduling is available through an online calendar, or by email if there is no available time on the calendar that fits your availability.

Virtual Sessions

In keeping with the changing practice of medicine, virtual sessions are available through Zoom, a high resolution, encrypted video conferencing application. Although in-person sessions are preferable, virtual sessions allow for greater continuity if you are unable to be at a scheduled appointment in person.

Telephone sessions are available for those who prefer that option. Patients should be aware that virtual sessions may be reimbursed differently by insurance.

Rapid Access

$800 per hour

For patients who need access for urgent matters that come up outside of scheduled sessions. Dr. Burton can be available in such circumstances by phone or Zoom within 24 hours, including nights and weekends.

The fee for this model is billed in 15-minute increments, i.e., if a contact is 30 minutes, the fee is $400.

For psychiatric or medical emergencies, patients should follow the procedures outlined in the Office Policy Sheet.

Payment:

Billing occurs at the end of each month. Payment is requested by the 15th of the following month. Payment more than 60 days delinquent will be assessed a 5% late fee.

Payment may be made by check, electronic bank payments, through such programs as Zelle and clearXchange, credit cards or wire transfers. Please note, any fees for credit card or wire transfers will be calculated into the invoice.

Insurance:

Insurance or insurance payments are not accepted. Insurance companies should direct reimbursement to the patient.

Invoices with appropriate codes for insurance reimbursement are provided, including for telephone and virtual sessions. Patients should be aware that reimbursement varies greatly among different insurance companies. Patients remain responsible for their bills, regardless of the individual insurance plan. Some insurance companies withhold reimbursement pending requests for medical records, their own forms, and other documentation. We will help you comply with this to a reasonable extent, but cannot guarantee that all insurance company requests for information will be met.

Missed sessions will appear on invoices as “Misc.,” and most insurance companies will not reimburse for these. (See Cancelled Appointments.) Individuals remain responsible for payment.

Telephone / Email Communication

Email may be used for scheduling, prescription requests, or routine questions.

Patients experiencing a medical or psychiatric emergency, or requiring immediate medical attention, should call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room, where emergency staff can contact Dr. Burton.

To enhance confidentiality, we use Virtru to encrypt email. If you wish to send an encrypted email we can provide you with a link.

For patients who do not wish to wait for a scheduled session, Dr. Burton can be available within a 24-hour period. See Information on Psychotherapy/Consultation Scheduling for information about Urgent Consultation.

Prescription Refills

All prescriptions are sent to the patient’s pharmacy electronically. Requests for new prescriptions or prescription refills should be made by email. We do our best to fill all prescription requests within 2 business days.

Written Summaries

Please provide a minimum of 7 days notice when requesting written letters, reports, or summaries of treatment. Any written communication to a third party from this office requires a signed consent to release information.

Written reports that require more than 15 minutes to prepare will be charged on a prorated basis commensurate with fees for sessions.