Question 1

Insurance

Accepted Answer

I take the following insurance: Regence BCBS, Moda, Pacific Source, Aetna, United Healthcare, Providence, Cigna, MHN, and Oregon Health Plan. 
Please verify your mental health benefits prior to our first appointment.
Many insurance companies have deductibles that begin at the New Year. If you have a deductible, you will be billed only what the insurance allows, not what I bill. You will need to pay this amount at each visit until your deductible is reached. I accept cash, checks, or credit cards. Please pay your co-insurance at the time of your visit. I have a billing company that will bill your insurance. If you have any questions or concerns about your bill, please let me know so that I may bring it to the attention of my billing company. I do not review the explanation of benefits from your insurance company.

Question 2

Medication Refills

Accepted Answer

Refills will usually be written during your appointment. If you need a refill between appointments, contact your pharmacy so that they can fax me a refill request AND alert me via email that you need a refill.
Please allow at least five business days for your medication to be refilled. I will refill prescriptions during my business hours (shown above) unless in the case of an emergency.
If you are seeing me for medication management, you must see me at least every three months to get your prescription refilled.

Question 3

Emergencies

Accepted Answer

I am available on my cell phone 24/7 for emergencies. I will have another practitioner cover for me when I am out of town. In the event of an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. If you have thoughts or impulses to harm yourself or someone else, that is an emergency. If you are in a crisis and your life is not in danger, please contact one of the following crisis lines.
 • Multnomah County Mental Health Crisis Line: 503-988-4888
 • Washington County Mental Health Crisis Line: 503-291-9111
 • Clackamas County Crisis Line: 503-655-8585
Other resources can be found on resources tab of my website.
If you are hospitalized, please contact me or have your physician contact me for coordination of care.

Question 4

Confidentiality

Accepted Answer

Federal law under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and state law requires that I protect the privacy of your personal information and am transparent about how your clinical information may be used and disclosed in support of your care. It also requires that I be open about how you can access your personal and clinical information. You can find a detailed description of HIPAA Notice Policies and Practices on the resources page of my website.

Question 5

Covid-19 & Telehealth

Accepted Answer

Insurance companies are currently covering telehealth during the pandemic. I use Zoom or Facetime. Zoom is preferable because it is HIPAA compliant. I am seeing some clients in the office following social distancing guidelines, a HEPA filter in my office, and face masks. If you have been exposed to COVID-19 or feel unwell, please let me know so we can do the session remotely. I will also ask to change to remote sessions if I have been exposed to COVID-19 or am experiencing symptoms. In the event of increase in cases and/or new restrictions from our governor, I may need to move all my sessions remote.

Question 6

Cancellations & No-Shows

Accepted Answer

I have a 24-hour cancellation policy. I will not charge you for cancelling if there is inclement weather.
First late-cancel / no-show                          Free pass
Second late-cancel / no-show                   $100 charge
Third+ late-cancel / no-show                     $150 charge

Question 7

Communication

Accepted Answer

As stated above, I am available on my cell phone in the case of an emergency. Otherwise, I respond to emails, texts, and voicemails during my business hours. Please give me 48 hours to respond to any non-urgent messages. If your messages come late at night or on the weekend, it is possible that I will not get the message and you will have to follow up.

Annie Grummel, LLC

Office Policies