Libus MD - Fees, Payments, and Billing

Svetlana Libus, MD. Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Childs, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatry


	Payment for services is important in any professional relationship. This is even more true in therapy. One treatment goal is to make relationships and the duties they involve clear. You are responsible for seeing that my services are paid for. Meeting this responsibility shows your commitment and maturity.
	My current regular fees are as follows. You will be given advance notice if my fees should change.
	Regular services: For initial session of 60 minutes, the fee is $425.00. For a session of 45 minutes, the fee is $ 350.00. For medication follow up session of 15 minutes, the fee is $150.00. Please pay for each session at its end. I have found that this arrangement helps us to stay focused on our goals, and so it works best. It also allows me to keep my fees as low as possible, because it cuts down on my bookkeeping costs. I suggest you make out your payment before each session begins, so that our time will be used best. Other payment or fee arrangements must be worked out before the end of our first meeting. I accept Venmo or Zelle (use my email address: doclib85@hotmail.com) For ZOOM session, I will charge you our regular fee, prorated over the time needed.
	I believe that telephone consultations may be suitable at times in our therapy, but I also believe that personal contact works better. So, I do not encourage phone sessions and practice them as an exception. For the phone session, I will charge you our regular fee, prorated over the time needed.
	Emergency services:You will be charged a double rate for services provided outside of my regular hours. Please, do not use my emergency phone line for situations that are not urgent. If this is the case, you will be charged $25.00
	Extended sessions: Sometimes it may be better to go on with a session, rather than stop or postpone work on a particular issue. When this extension is more than 10 minutes, I will discuss it with you, because sessions that are extended beyond 10 minutes will be charged on a prorated basis.
	Reports: I will not charge you for making simple reports to your insurance company. However, I will have to bill you for any long or complex reports.
	Other services: Charges for other services, such as school or hospital visits, consultations with other therapists, or any court-related services (such as consultations with lawyers) will be based on the time involved in providing the service at my regular fee schedule. Some services may require payment in advance. For medication refill through mail, fax or call to the pharmacy $25.00 will be applied.
	I realize that my fees involve substantial amount of money, although they are well in line with similar professionals' charges. For you to get the best value for your money, we must work hard and well.
	I will assume that our agreed-upon fee-paying relationship will continue as long as I provide services to you. I will assume this until you tell me in person, by telephone, or by certified mail that you wish to end it. You have a responsibility to pay for any services you receive before you end the relationship.
	If you think you may have trouble paying your bills on time, please discuss this with me. I will also raise the matter with you so we can arrive at a solution. If you have unpaid balance, I will notify you by mail. A late fee of 1% of the unpaid balance will be charged each month. If it then remains unpaid, I must stop therapy with you. Fees that continue unpaid after this will be turned over to small- claims court or a collection service. I do not give refunds to unsatisfied customers.
	If there is any problem with my charges, my billing, your insurance, or any other money-related point, please bring it to my attention. I will do the same with you. Such problems can interfere greatly with our work. They must be worked out openly and quickly.
	Health Insurance Coverage and Payments
	Because I am a licensed psychiatrist, many health insurance plans will help you pay for therapy and other services I offer. Because health insurance is written by many different companies, I cannot tell you what your plan covers. Please read your plan's booklet under coverage for "Outpatient Psychiatric Treatment" or under "Treatment of Mental and Nervous Conditions." Or call your insurer's office to find out what you need to know.
	If your health insurance will pay part of my fee, I will help you with your insurance claim forms. However, please keep three things in mind:
	•	I am on Blue Shield of California and United Healthcare insurance panel. I am not on any other insurance panel.
	•	I had no role in deciding what your insurance covers. Your employer decided which, if any, of my services will be covered and how much you (and I) will be paid. You are responsible for checking your insurance coverage, deductibles, payment rates, co-payments, and so forth. Your insurance contract is between you and your company; it is not between me and the insurance company.
	•	You—not your insurance company or any other person or company—is responsible for paying the fees we agree upon. If you ask me to bill a separated spouse, a relative, or an insurance company, and I do not receive payment on time, I will then expect this payment from you.
	If You Have a Managed Care Contract
	If you belong to a health maintenance organization (HMO) or have another kind of health insurance with managed care, decisions about what kind of care you need and how much of it you can receive will be reviewed by the plan. The plan has rules, limits, and procedures that we should discuss. Please bring your health insurance plan's description of services to one of our early meetings, so that we can talk about it and decide what to do. .
	I will provide information about you to your insurance company only with your informed and written consent. I may send this information by mail or by fax.