Fees, COVID, insurance, etc.

I am a provider with traditional Highmark and UPMC insurance plans. Patients for whom I am out of network pay me directly by check or cash. Please check the details of your plan regarding copays, any possible deductible., etc. Although I bill insurance directly, you are responsible for your bill.

I accept Medicare. I recommend that patients with Medicare secure affordable supplementary insurance, which will take care of copays. I do not participate in Medicaid.

Out of pocket fees are $175 per 53 minute hour. People already consulting with me at lower out of pocket fees may continue to do so. Sessions not cancelled with 24 hrs notice will be billed at $175. These are not covered by insurance.

I do not want you to come to in-person sessions if you are not feeling well or if you have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19 virus. Use the telehealth option instead. I shall not come to in-person sessions if I am in a similar situation, and I shall let you know as early as possible beforehand. I do not charge for late cancelations if you are feeling sick.

I and my colleagues at Unity Care have been vaccinated and are up to date with being Covid boosted. We take reasonable precautions to keep our offices and waiting room clean and disinfected and to help keep each other safe. We have hand sanitizers in the waiting room and our offices. If you are not up to date with COVID vaccinations, I shall consult with you through Telehealth only.

For telehealth consultations I use the HIPPA compliant company developed for medical consultations: Doxy. This will work best if your own browser, etc. are up to date and not overloaded, either from your phone or computer. I have found only google chrome to be a reliable server for Doxy. In the rare occasion that Doxy does not connect us, we can use Wattsapp, FaceTime, or even a phone, but I always advise that these are not HIPPA compliant. The Doxy link I send you is my Doxy address, which remains the same.

If you come to in-person sessions you are required to practice official guidelines regarding face to face contact during the pandemic, even if vaccinated. That includes washing or disinfecting hands before sessions (we have disinfectant in the waiting room and our offices). We recommend wearing face masks in the waiting room, but these can be removed once in our offices, at our mutual discretion. These guidelines change frequently.

Coming to in-person sessions means that you accept the inevitable risk involved regarding the possibility of COVID-19 infection.

If you want to know where that beautiful scene in the background is, the photograph was taken in the late afternoon from Tlopi tented campsite in the Marakela National Park in South Africa.