Practice Basics
Thank you for entrusting me with your mental health care. Please carefully review the following important points that frequently arise before we start working together.
Spruce is the best way to contact me. I will send out an invitation to create an account to join my clinic on Spruce when you become a patient. Spruce is user-friendly, HIPAA-compliant, can send and receive attachments. I am generally able to respond very quickly to Spruce messages. You can also text my office line at 804-348-1708. I am not able to respond to phone calls and emails as quickly as I am to Spruce messages. You can also join via the following link: https://spruce.care/fireflycollaborativementalhealth. Please do NOT message me through Headway - see below.
Headway is the platform I use to verify insurance benefits and to manage all of the financial aspects of my practice. I contract with them so I can focus exclusively on patient care and not involve myself in insurance and billing. For any questions regarding benefits, copays, deductibles, charges, etc, please contact them directly. If they are not giving you the help you need, please let me know and I will reach out to them on your behalf to advocate for you. I use Headway to manage verify insurance benefits and billing ONLY - please do not use Headway for messaging or scheduling.
Telehealth link is www.doxy.me/FCMH. This takes you to the “virtual waiting room.”
Scheduling and rescheduling: we will schedule your follow up at the end of each visit. If you need to reschedule or cancel, please message me directly through Spruce or text to let me know. Please do not attempt to cancel or reschedule through Headway. Please note that while my availability fluctuates some week by week, I am rarely available for appointments after 3pm. If you are unable to meet before 3pm, I may not be a good fit for you.
Refills are sent at the time of the appointment. If you need refills in between appointments for any reason, please provide at least 3 business days’ notice and send a message via Spruce to let me know. Please do not rely on pharmacy messages for refills. I receive countless pharmacy faxes daily requesting refills for medications people no longer take, or take at different doses - pharmacies are not aware of our plan of care. Please contact me directly for refills instead.
Appointment times are generally 90 minutes for an initial evaluation and 30-45 minutes for follow ups. The exact duration and frequency of visits is tailored to each individual’s needs.
Emergencies: If you are in crisis, please go to urgent care (e.g., Patient First) or the emergency room depending on the severity of your concern. I am usually quick to respond, but as a solo practitioner without office staff, I am not available after business hours or on weekends and cannot field emergency calls. Please do let me know what is happening, as I want to remain involved, but do not delay urgent care while waiting for my response.
Finally, as a solo-practitioner, one-person operation, my goal is to provide personal, individualized care to offer an alternative to assembly line, box-checking, corporate style care many psychiatry practices offer. As such, I appreciate your grace and understanding with any hiccups or glitches that may arise, bearing in mind that I am only a human being and not a corporate monolith. Thank you for placing your trust in me and I look forward to accompanying you on your journey!