Southpointe Psychiatry & Wellness
TELEHEALTH POLICIES
Your provider offers telepsychiatry health services by using telehealth compliant and HIPPA compliant platforms. You will need access to an internet service as well as a computer, smartphone or tablet with a microphone and camera in order to engage in telepsychiatry health care with your provider.
All NEW PATIENT evaluations must be in person with NO EXCEPTIONS. After your initial appointment your provider will determine how often you must be seen in our office.
TELEPSYCHIATRY APPOINTMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS:
It is expected that all patients will be in a private location during the visit. You CANNOT be operating a motorized vehicle during your appointment for safety reasons. Your provider will not allow anyone else to hear or see any part of the session except for students specializing in psychiatry and mental health. We will inform you prior to the appointment if anyone else will be present during the visit. We ask that if you have anyone with you during your appointment that you inform your provider.
If you are in a public place during your appointment and cannot secure privacy, your provider may not be able to meet with you due to privacy laws, and you will be charged a late cancellation fee of $75.00.
We encourage patients to log into the telehealth platform at least 10 minutes prior to the start of the appointment to ensure reliable internet connection and working equipment.
If you need to change your in-person visit to a virtual you must give us at least 4 hours notice.
Your credit card will automatically be charged the day of your appointment.
Cancellations will be subject to a $75.00 charge if NOT RECEIVED AT LEAST 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE. Cancellations will only be accepted by phone call.
MINORS (under 14 years of age) - We require parental consent for all visits done through telepsychiatry. We require your parents to be present during a portion of the visit to ensure that they are consenting to treatment.
ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION: We cannot ensure the confidentiality of any form of communication through electronic media, including, but not limited to, text messages, telephone communication, the Internet, facsimile machines, and email. Utilizing telepsychiatry services through Southpointe Psychiatry & Wellness is voluntary in nature and you need to understand:
You have the right to withhold or withdraw your consent for telepsychiatry services at any time.
We will protect your protected health information in the same fashion as our brick-and-mortar practice. You need to understand though that data breaches can happen, and we cannot assure your information is 100% protected.
There are potential benefits, risks and subsequent consequences of telepsychiatry. Potential benefits include, but are not limited to improved access to care, reducing costs, improving the quality of visits, and reduction of travel time associated with medical visits. The medical provider will make assessments, diagnoses, and treatment plans based on the visual and auditory information provided during the video conference. You must understand that this is limited and poses potential risks including, but not limited to the provider’s inability to make complete diagnostic assessments that might require a physical exam and to see the patient in person. During an in-person encounter, a medical provider has the ability to see the entire patient including but not limited to their gait, smell, general appearance, and demeanor. Potential consequences thus include the provider not being aware of clinically significant information that you may not recognize as significant to present verbally to the provider.
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