Happy holidays everyone!
I hope that you all have been spending some time with your loved ones or relaxing this holiday season so far.
End of the year means time for end-of-year updates for the practice and plans for the coming year. There are even more changes happening compared to the last 2 years, so listen up.
First things first, the general notices that go out every year.
1. Your health insurance deductible is likely resetting Jan 1st. Thus there’s a good chance I’ll resume charging cards on file for those who have met their deductibles/OOP maxes for the 2024 calendar year. If you need to change your payment on file with me, please let me know.
2. It’s time to catch up on past due balances! I will be reaching out to those who have current balances with me to talk about catching up for the tax year. It’s important that we keep up with our balances: I do not send past due balances to collections but I may decline to resume services for patients with past due balances.
3. Your employer may be changing insurance benefits or plans on Jan 1st. Same if you applied for a different ACA Marketplace plan. Please let me know if your insurance is changing ASAP so I can adapt. I take MOST commercial insurance plans by this point that are common in FL. If you do not inform me of any insurance changes and I get denials from insurance claim submissions, then you may find yourself paying my full private fee.
4. I will be going around getting new ROIs for the year and updating any signatures needed for paperwork. Expect a little admin time during our first session over the new year.
Now for a few small changes in the practice:
1. My overall fees will be increasing starting Jan 1st. The sliding scale range will be moving from $105-$175 for intakes and individual appointments. This is in line with advances in my own training, inflation, and adjustments in insurance reimbursement rates. As usual, current patients will not see a change in their fees. This new fee structure will be for patients returning after a discharge and those who are new.
2. I am revamping my outcomes measures and will be completing them in person with you if you have not completed them prior to our appointment. This information is imperative for me, please take every effort you can to complete the form each time you get the reminder text. Thank you for those who continue to complete them!
4. I am currently generating secure messaging documentation that you can use if you wish to communicate with me as opposed to via text! It will require you to be able to use Google Docs. More on this later.
5. My website will continue receiving updates, and currently is getting a fresher look. I will be updating more of my marketing and branding over the next year as well, so be on the lookout.
Now, for bigger changes in the practice!
1. I am starting to incorporate more elements of exercise and nutrition into my practice. You may begin to see some of those changes over the next year! If you are interested let me know. If it is part of our clinical picture it may be something we can address within the therapy process. If not, then it may need to occur separately.
2. I will be phasing out Doxy.me as a main telehealth platform and moving solely to Google Meets. This only really applies to 2-3 of you, but be advised that this will be happening. Doxy.me will be my backup platform only moving forward.
3. I am still working on education courses for mental health needs! You will see at least 1-2 offerings up on the website over the next year. They will be free for current clients and cost a small fee for anyone else. Be on the lookout for more updates with this.
4. The biggest update of the next year for sure: I will be moving my office. Our lease is up at my current location and our collaborative of clinicians has made the decision to separate and go our own ways. At the latest I will be out of the office my May 1st. I hope to be out by March-April to give some wiggle room for mail.
What this means for all of you:
1. You will be traveling somewhere else to see me if you see me in person. I hope to keep it in the Naples area, but it may also tread up towards Ft. Myers. I am in talks with a location across the street where I am now, but it is hard to tell if there will be availability for me by the time I need it.
2. Whatever location I select, it likely will not be as big or the same as the current location. Since commercial real estate costs have gone up since we moved into our current office in 2020, it may not be feasible for me to grab as big an office space. Please be prepared for that. The upside to this is I will have much more freedom to adjust it to best serve our needs.
3. In the event I cannot secure an office on time, I will have to move fully virtual until I do. This is a last resort as I know many of you prefer to see me in office. I also do not forecast this happening but I want everyone to be prepared in case it does. I will give another notice later on in the year should this be a possibility.
4. Telehealth will not change at all.
I think that’s all for now. 2025 will be one of the biggest changes to the practice we've had in a while, and I am excited for it!
Any questions, please feel free to reach out to me directly.
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