- Email : [email protected]
- Phone : 623-233-0914
- Address : 7301 N 16th St, Suite 102 Phoenix, AZ 85020
Frequently Asked Questions
Services
Yes, we would love to work with you.
We offer a range of mental health services including psychiatric evaluations, medication management, and brief psychotherapy.
Our practice is currently providing all services via telehealth.
We work with individuals aged 16 and up.
We offer brief psychotherapy during our psychiatric evaluation and medication management appointments. Brief psychotherapy focuses on addressing current stressors, teaching effective coping strategies, promoting healthy lifestyle changes, and identifying solutions to problems. If you require more extensive or ongoing psychotherapy, we can refer you to a reputable local therapist who can provide the care you need.
Although we can provide initial screenings for certain developmental disorders, we recommend neuropsychological testing for a formal diagnosis of autism and/or learning disabilities. We can provide referrals if needed.
No. All appointments must be done over Zoom with video and audio.
We are not available outside of regular office hours. Please call 911 if you are having a medical emergency or 988 if you are having a mental health emergency.
COMMUNICATION
We recommend that our established patients use the Spruce Health app for secure messaging.
We are a small private practice and have limited staff available to answer phone calls. We have found that communicating via text or secure messaging allows us to serve our patients in an efficient manner.
We try to respond to all messages within one business day.
APPOINTMENTS
Please use our booking link (https://peakmentalhealth.intakeq.com/booking) and click the “manage appointments” button.
We will send you a Zoom link one hour before your appointment. We recommend bookmarking this link since it will be the same every time.
We are only able to meet with you while you are located in Arizona or Colorado, and we can only send prescriptions to these states.
There is no charge to cancel or reschedule your appointment as long as you give us at least one business day of notice. The fee for a late cancellation (less than one business day) is $45, and the fee for a no-show is $95. These fees help ensure that we can continue to provide care to all of our patients. Please note that if you do not have a card on file or your card is declined, you will be required to pay the fee before attending another appointment or receiving refills.
No, we do not make any individual exceptions to our attendance policies. We understand that most patients have valid reasons for canceling at the last minute or missing an appointment. However, healthcare practices have operational expenses such as staff wages, utilities, and equipment costs that still need to be covered even when patients do not show up for their appointments. Additionally, missed appointments prevent other patients from getting timely medical attention. Late cancellation and no-show fees allow us to recoup some operational expenses and help maintain accountability so appointments are available for all of our patients.
Let us know if you’re running late, and we will still meet with you as long as you join before the end of your scheduled appointment time. However, if we do not hear from you, we will mark you as a no-show after 10 minutes, and the no-show fee will apply.
INSURANCE
We currently accept Optum/UHC, Cigna, Aetna, BCBS, and Medicare. Please make sure your insurance covers mental health services before scheduling an appointment.
No, we do accept any Medicaid plans such as AHCCCS (Arizona) or Health First (Colorado), even if combined with another type of insurance.
We recommend calling your insurance company. Let them know you are seeing an out-of-network provider and you would like to file a behavioral health claim. They will give you further instructions from there. After each appointment, we can provide a superbill for you to submit to your insurance for potential reimbursement.
Please send us a photo of your new insurance card or add your new insurance information to the check-in form before your next appointment.
Our appointments may include a combination of medication management and brief psychotherapy. If you receive both medication management and psychotherapy during your visit, your insurance will be billed separately for each service. Please note that your insurance will only be billed for add-on psychotherapy if the psychotherapy component lasts 16 minutes or longer.
ALMA
Alma is a third-party billing platform that we use for the following insurance plans: Optum/UHC, Cigna, and Aetna.
Alma automatically sends this email to all patients who have not met their deductible. Please note that this is a high estimate and your actual cost is likely to be much lower. Please send us a message if you would like a more accurate estimate.
Yes, we require enrollment in autopay because Alma does not support charging copays at the time of your visit. Instead, your card will be charged automatically after the claim is processed by your insurance company.
PAYMENT
All fees are due at the time services are rendered. If you are using insurance, we will charge your copay/coinsurance automatically once the claim is processed.
Yes, we accept HSA cards. However, please ensure you maintain an adequate balance on your card to avoid any declined credit card fees.
You may have a deductible to meet before your insurance will cover any healthcare costs. Click here to learn more about health insurance deductibles: https://www.investopedia.com/health-insurance-deductible-4773113
If your balance remains unpaid for more than 90 days, we will add a $200 collections fee to your balance and refer you to a collections agency.
PRESCRIPTIONS AND REFILLS
Please call your pharmacy first before contacting us. We will send your prescriptions to your selected pharmacy after each appointment. In most cases, the pharmacy has received the prescription, but there is a delay due to one of the following reasons: it’s too early for a refill, your medication needs a prior authorization, or your pharmacy has the wrong insurance on file.
Please call your pharmacy first before contacting us. We will send enough refills to last until your next appointment. In most cases, there are still refills available, and all you need to do is ask the pharmacy to fill it. If your pharmacy does not have any refills on file, please text us at 623-233-0914 or message us through Spruce Health to request a refill. Please note that we do not respond to automated refill requests from pharmacies.
Prior authorizations are a type of paperwork that insurance companies sometimes require for newer or more expensive medications. Your insurance company may or may not send us a prior authorization request, so please let us know as soon as possible if you need a prior authorization for your medication.
We recommend using GoodRx or Cost Plus online pharmacy to find the best prices. If these options are still out of your budget, please schedule an appointment to discuss alternative medications.
We require patients to be seen at least once every three months to continue receiving medication refills. This allows us to monitor your progress, assess any potential side effects or interactions, and adjust your treatment plan as needed.
We do not participate in automated refill requests. To request a refill, please contact us directly by texting 623-233-0914 or messaging us through Spruce Health, and we will be happy to assist you.
Please go to a psychiatric urgent care center if you need an immediate refill. For Arizona residents, we recommend MIND 24-7.
No, all medication changes must be based on a full discussion of the benefits and risks during a scheduled appointment.
CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES
Yes, we prescribe stimulants for certain mental health conditions such as ADHD. However, we do not exceed FDA-recommended maximum doses of stimulants, or combine them with other controlled substances such as benzodiazepines.
Yes, we prescribe benzodiazepines for certain mental health conditions such as panic disorder. However, we do not exceed FDA-recommended maximum doses of benzodiazepines, or combine them with other controlled substances such as stimulants or opioids.
Yes, we prescribe buprenorphine (Suboxone) for certain mental health conditions such as opioid use disorder. However, we do not exceed FDA-recommended maximum doses of Suboxone, or combine Suboxone with other controlled substances such as benzodiazepines.
Currently, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) rules requiring an in-person visit are suspended due to the covid-19 public health emergency. However, they are expected to resume in November 2023. If you establish care with our practice before November 2023, you will not be required to complete an in-person visit until November 2024.
PAPERWORK
Yes. However, due to time constraints, we cannot complete paperwork during regular followup appointments. Please schedule a separate appointment for paperwork. There is an additional fee for paperwork (see fee schedule).
Yes. However, due to time constraints, we cannot complete paperwork during regular followup appointments. Please schedule a separate appointment for paperwork. There is an additional fee for paperwork (see fee schedule).
Please allow up to 7-14 days for any paperwork requests.
