Office Policies

Appointments

Therapy sessions are typically on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Monthly appointments are sometimes appropriate. Additional appointment times can be arranged on an “as needed basis.” A therapy “hour” is 45-50 minutes in duration and may be referred to as a “clinical hour.” If you are late for your appointment, it is typically necessary to stop at the normal time. Other services may be offered at different rates or as one-time charges. Your therapist may propose other services or evaluation with another provider to further your progress – these recommendations are not mandatory, however your decisions regarding the recommendations may affect future outcomes of your services.

Cancellations & Missed Appointments

Scheduled appointments are an important aspect of your services at The Arlington Center- your appointment time is reserved for you. If your appointment needs to be cancelled or rescheduled, it is very important to contact your clinician as soon as possible. It is required that you give advance notice of cancellation at least 24 hours before your scheduled appointment. The normal session fee will be charged for any late cancellations or missed appointments. If a cancellation has not been made prior to this time, the session is a loss for someone else wishing to use that therapy time or for the therapist.

Telephone Calls

Phone calls may be made to your therapist between sessions if needed. If there is an emergency (defined as a “life threatening” situation), go to your nearest hospital or dial 911. No fees are charged for phone calls regarding appointments and similar matters; nor are fees charged for phone calls requiring just a few minutes; however, a pro-rated charge will be made for psychotherapy or psychotherapeutic consultations conducted over the phone that require more than 5-10 minutes. This would be billed at the same rate as private face-to-face counseling session.

Ending Therapy

You can end therapy at any point you wish. Usually therapy pursues specific goals and you and your therapist will discuss together an appropriate termination process. It is useful to designate a final session to wrap up the work you have done together and bring closure to the therapeutic relationship. If you decide you want to terminate your treatment, but have a scheduled appointment, please call your therapist and explain that you wish to take a break or end your therapy. You will be billed and held responsible to pay if you fail to call and cancel the last appointment with 24 hours notification.

Children in the waiting room

We are unable to provide supervision for children in the waiting room and cannot accept responsibility for their safety if left unattended. For the safety and welfare of the children and out of consideration for others, please make arrangements for childcare during therapy sessions, or provide adult supervision for children while waiting in the waiting room. Parents will be held responsible for any property damage caused by their child.

Payments

You will be billed for all time spent with you or on your behalf, such as therapists’ time spent preparing reports, reading letters and documents, consultations, travel time for “out of office” services, and (extended) telephone calls. A list of diagnostic testing fees is available by request. Payment is requested at the time of each session either by cash, check, credit card, HSA card, or money order.

Insurance Coverage

Payment is due at the time of service. If you maintain health insurance, part of your therapy expenses may be reimbursed to you. We will provide you with a receipt that you can send to your insurance company for reimbursement. You must check your policy manual or call your insurance company for details about your policy limits and coverage (deductible, co-pays, in-network or out-of-network rates, etc.). Be aware that whoever is the insurance policy holder, that person will get a copy of the explanation of benefits. Remember, if fees you expect your insurance company to cover are rejected for any reason, these fees remain the client’s responsibility to pay.

We are PPO providers for Blue Cross Blue Shield of IL under the group name of “Arlington Counseling Associates” or “The Arlington Center”. Be sure to check who the mental health carrier is on your BCBS plan, as some BCBS plans use other mental health management companies or providers for mental health services, even if the insurance card is a BCBS card. Be sure to check the information and numbers on the back of the card for details.

Bounced Checks

A $35.00 charge will be assessed for any check given in payment of your account if the check is not honored at the bank because of insufficient funds. This charge will be added to your balance due and shown on your statement.

Delinquent Accounts

Late payments will be subject to a penalty fee of 12% per anum. Delinquent accounts may be sent to collections if fee payment obligations are not met in a timely manner, an additional 35% will be added to your account if sent to collections (Our collections agency is Certified Services of Waukegan, IL). Be aware that the adult who contracts the counseling services (for their self, a child, or a friend) is ultimately responsible for the counseling fees. A third party may be billed with their consent. If the third party does not cover the expenses as expected, then the responsibility for payment will return to the contracting adult.

Credit Cards on File

We request clients keep a credit/debit/hsa card on file so that they can be billed for copays and other charges not covered by insurance.  We use a medical biller who may contact clients via email if a payment issue arises.

Delinquent Accounts

Late payments will be subject to a penalty fee of 12% per anum. Delinquent accounts may be sent to collections if fee payment obligations are not met in a timely manner, an additional 35% will be added to your account if sent to collections (Our collections agency is Certified Services of Waukegan, IL). Be aware that the adult who contracts the counseling services (for their self, a child, or a friend) is ultimately responsible for the counseling fees. A third party may be billed with their consent. If the third party does not cover the expenses as expected, then the responsibility for payment will return to the contracting adult.

Professional Standards

As psychotherapists and professionals, we work to uphold the most responsible, ethical and professional standards possible, and we are accountable to you. If you have any questions or concerns about your course of contact with us, please feel free to discuss these issues with us. In signing this contract you are agreeing that should you have any dissatisfaction(s) or concern(s) about your treatment, that you will do your best to indicate your concerns to us so we can attempt to address them to your satisfaction. If you are unhappy with your services here and need help finding additional or alternate assistance, we will assist you in locating a more suitable referral or therapy resource.