Welcome to Coastal Medical and Psychiatric Services!
The CMPS Team is dedicated to promoting professional values and ethics in the practice of psychiatry, as well as access to the highest quality of medical care through support of education and advocacy for our profession, our patients, and their families. We strive to provide a comprehensive selection of professional services. This includes medication management for children, adolescents, and adults, psychotherapy to assist individuals and couples in meeting life challenges and play therapy to encourage the unique development and emotional growth of children.
SERVICES & APPOINTMENTS
We currently provide treatment by board certified Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Licensed Clinical Social Workers, and Licensed Professional Counselors. Nurse Practitioners specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of mental health and psychological disorders. Our LCSW/LPCs are specially trained in individual therapy, crisis intervention, assessment and diagnosis, play therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and dual-diagnosis work.
Appointments are scheduled by calling the office. New Patients are asked to arrive at least 15 minutes early to their scheduled appointment to complete the new patient paperwork, or to have completed it online. Established patients are asked to arrive 10 minutes early to scheduled appointments to verify and update any insurance or address information. YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR ANY APPOINTMENTS NOT KEPT, UNLESS 24 HOURS NOTICE IS GIVEN TO THE OFFICE. Your insurance does not cover these charges. The law does not allow us to bill insurance companies for missed appointments; therefore, the patient is fully responsible for any fees due. Our electronic health records system has appointment reminder capabilities. However, appointment reminders, whether they be email or text, are a courtesy, not a guarantee. It is your responsibility to keep track of your scheduled appointments.
FEES FOR SERVICE
Co-payments must be made at the time of your scheduled visit. If you are unable to pay your payment, you may be asked to reschedule. We accept cash, cards, and checks. We do not accept post-dated checks. Refer to the Financial Policy in the New Patient Paperwork for further information on fees. Please inform the staff if you would like a copy of your signed Financial Policy consent form.
You must have a card on file for copays if you have virtual appointments with your provider.
In certain cases where the majority of a medication follow-up appointment is spent on discussing stressors, non-pharmacological interventions, coping mechanisms for symptoms, or other psychotherapy interventions, an additional billing code may be applied to the visit. This billing code is typically covered by insurance, but depending on the individual’s plan and circumstances (ie. co-insurances, copays, deductibles), this may or may not lead to an increased patient cost-share for the appointment.
CALLING THE OFFICE TO SCHEDULE
Phone lines are open Monday-Thursday 9:30am-4:30pm and Friday 9:00am-2:00pm. Phones are closed from 12:00pm-1:30pm daily.
If you are unable to reach an administrative staff member, please leave a detailed message and your call will be returned in the order in which it was received. All voicemails will be returned by an administrative staff member even if the call is to speak to a provider directly. If a message is left with a provider, your call will be returned within 1-2 business days.
AFTER-HOURS ANSWERING SERVICE
Calls outside of normal business hours go to voicemail. Your provider will be available for emergencies only after regular office hours through our answering service. Calls to the answering service are for emergencies only. Calls to the answering service that are deemed not emergent (such as medication refills, medication changes, prior-authorizations, scheduling follow-ups, or billing questions) will generate a $75 fee. This fee is not covered by insurance and will be the patient’s responsibility. If your provider is not available, calls may be covered by a colleague. The provider-on-call may also need access to your patient record in the event of emergencies.
PROVIDER-COMPLETED FORMS AND LETTERS
Due to additional time required, there is a fee for all forms or letters completed by providers, if done outside of an appointment. This may include, but is not limited to, disability forms, employee forms, medical record requests, or letters. Fees vary depending on the time involved and the information requested. Please be aware that these fees are not covered by your insurance. We recommend scheduling an appointment to avoid incurring these charges.
INSURANCE COMPANIES
We are contracted with insurance companies. Your insurance may have a network of providers; if so, our participation in that network will be verified by our billing office prior to your visit. Some mental health services require prior authorization from your insurance company, such as Tricare Prime for out-of-network providers. It is your responsibility to confirm that the provider you are scheduled with is in your network prior to your appointment, and make yourself aware of your mental health insurance coverage. These include copay amounts, coinsurance amounts, and deductibles. Our staff, in order to bill your insurance(s), will have access to only that information necessary for preparing monthly statements and submitting claims to your carrier(s).
MEDICATION PRIOR-AUTHORIZATIONS
Some insurance companies require justification for medications you may be prescribed. This is called a prior-authorization and they are handled in-office by our coordinators and your provider. Prior-authorizations require 3-5 business days for processing by CMPS and once sent to your insurance company, may take an additional 24-72 hours for them to approve or deny the requested medication. A prior authorization for a stimulant or benzodiazepine requires a drug screen. This will not be initiated until we have an up to date drug screen on file to submit with the request.
COURT-RELATED SERVICES
The goal of psychiatric treatment is the improvement of psychological/mental distress and interpersonal conflict. The process of treatment depends on trust and openness during the sessions.
All services provided by a psychotherapist, play therapist, or prescriber are solely for the improvement of the patient’s mental health. Patients are expected not to use the information from their sessions for their own legal purposes without informing their provider and obtaining their approval.
In the event you need your provider to appear in court, please discuss options with your provider during your appointment. Court appearances for CMPS providers have fees attached. If you need your records for a court-related reason, please have your lawyer request them and they will be sent within 14-30 days.
Coastal Medical & Psychiatric Services 