As local and national COVID-19 recommendations continue to be updated, I have made the decision to go to online sessions ONLY for (hopefully) a brief period of time, as of 3/17/2020 and extending through at least 3/31/2020. I know this change may be stressful to some at a time that is already feeling stressful. However, at this point it has become impossible for any of us to really know if we have been recently exposed. Even with hand-washing and wiping down the office several times a day, it just isn’t worth the risk. My clients include people with chronic health conditions, and I also manage a chronic health condition; the risk of exposure currently outweighs the benefits of in-person meetings. I expect this online-only arrangement to last for two weeks, but maybe longer, depending on how things go. I will certainly keep you all updated.
If you have an appointment with me this week after Monday 3/16, or next week (3/23-3/27/2020), I will be changing them to Telehealth appointments.
Here is what you need for Telehealth Sessions:
1) There is a Telehealth Consent Form that I will ask you to sign and return to me by email or through the client portal prior to your scheduled appointment. If you don’t have one, please let me know.
2) You should be receiving an email from my software, Simple Practice, that tells you about your Telehealth appointment and provides a link to sign into it. If you don’t get it, let me know by text, phone or email prior to your scheduled appointment. Check your spam filter. At the time of your appointment you will need to follow the link in the email to join the session.
3) You will need access to a laptop, or to a PC with a camera and microphone. You may need to make updates to your system if you haven’t done so in a while. Ipad and other tablets should also work, but you may need to download the Simple Practice Telehealth App. Although I have tested things on my end and found things to be running smoothly, we may run into technical issues and we will muddle through as best we can.
4) As far as I know, insurance companies will be paying for Telehealth sessions at this time, but I can make no guarantees about your coverage. If you are unsure, please contact your plan. For those plans I am contracted with, I will be billing with the appropriate codes through Simple Practice software as usual. If I usually provide you with a Superbill, the codes for Telehealth sessions will be included on the Superbill.
If you have other questions, PLEASE CALL ME. I am so happy to answer them and work this out as best we can.
Thank you,
Laura