Introduction to Dr. Nathan's Practice

I have provided this information about my practice to all new patients, as I believe that addressing my policies can facilitate our work together.

My main interest is in high quality, individual outpatient treatment, and I am thus engaged in full-time private practice.

Let me emphasize one essential point about my practice: If you choose to participate in treatment with me, the nature of that treatment will depend only on agreements between you and me. While there are continuous changes in the field of psychiatry, I have found that preservation of the doctor-patient relationship remains one of the cornerstones of high quality treatment and favorable results. I am a solo practitioner, and my practice is not administered in any way by a hospital, a group practice, or an HMO. I have no contractual arrangements with any insurance provider (including Medicare, for which I have "opted out"), and I am not a "designated provider" on any managed care plans. I have chosen this approach to avoid disclosing clinical information to insurance company employees who could dictate our choice of treatment. We are thus able to maintain a one-on-one relationship, preserving your confidentiality and allowing clinical decisions free of third-party constraints. If you intend to use insurance benefits to cover the cost of treatment, you should first be sure you have met any pre-certification or referral requirements of your particular insurance plan.

Unless other arrangements are made, payment is due for each session at the time it is held. Following an initial evaluation of one to three sessions, each fifty minutes long, we will decide on a treatment plan, which may include more appointments with me. If we decide that I will provide psychotherapy, these fifty minute sessions would generally take place once every week or two at an hour that is mutually acceptable. For general psychiatric care, I see patients in either twenty-five or fifty minute appointments. We would schedule these appointments on a flexible basis as needed to monitor your progress, usually between once a week and every three months. If you have specific needs beyond our face-to-face meetings (examples include extended record review, report writing, or frequent contact by phone with you or your family), please let me know in advance so that we can be clear about appropriate charges. A final note about billing: Because I usually need at least one day to fill an open appointment slot, you will be expected to pay for all scheduled appointments unless you cancel more than twenty-four hours in advance.

When you call my office, you may reach my voicemail. Unless you request otherwise or unless my outgoing message instructs you that I am away, I will make every effort to return your call the same day if it is placed during business hours. If you are difficult to reach, please leave times when you will be available. I retrieve some messages while outside my office, so always leave a phone number with your message, even if you think I have it, and speak especially clearly when leaving the number. During evenings, weekends and holidays, I can usually be paged for emergencies only. If you cannot reach me (or a colleague who is covering for me), and there is an emergency, you should call your family physician or go to the nearest emergency room. If requesting a refill for a prescription, please leave the name of the medication, the dose, and the number of a pharmacy. I will usually call the pharmacist on the same day for requests left during business hours. Even so, you should give me advance notice for refills, especially near a weekend or holiday.

I hope I have addressed any preliminary questions. Please refer to this information in the future as needed, and feel free to contact me if any questions remain.