Waves of Courage Counseling LLC

Investment

When you’re making an investment, you’re dedicating time, energy, and money. Therapy is an investment for yourself in order to be more present and focused on your well-being. Committing to working on your issues takes emotional energy and time, but the return of your investment can be a relief or freeing for some. You’re able to cope better with life’s challenges, you don’t feel as stuck, and you have a stronger sense of who you are in the world. 

Rates

Yes, I offer a limited amount of lower-fee slots through Open Path Collective, a platform where you can sign up for lifetime access to low-cost counseling when you can’t afford the full fee. Outside of Open Path, my sliding range varies and is typically discussed with an agreement form. Please connect with me directly to discuss the availability if you require a lower-fee or payment plan option.

Yes, I accept private pay. The advantages of private pay include not having to submit a diagnosis or share any HIPAA-protected information with your insurance company. Many of these companies also try to dictate what kind of therapy and how much therapy you need. When you use out-of-pocket services, you have more flexibility in how you use your therapy sessions, and also allows me to provide the highest quality, most flexible care to meet your unique needs. Read more about the advantages of private pay here in my FAQ section.

 

The “No Surprises Act”  Enacted on January 1st, 2022:
     You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate”  (GFE)
 explaining how much your medical care will cost

Under the law, healthcare providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services. Please visit https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises for more information

I am happy to discuss this in our consultation prior to our initial appointment.

Yup, I do offer OON billing. It is very similar to private pay where you pay for services upfront.

The difference between OON billing versus private pay is that I can provide you with a Superbill, which is a fancy medical receipt. You can submit this receipt to your insurance company for possible reimbursement (which they will send directly to you). Doing this, however, also requires a formal diagnosis.

As a courtesy I use Thrizer, a program that does the work for you by directly submitting your OON claims. This will allow you to track your claims and receive reimbursement payments more quickly and easily.

Common CPT Codes for billing:

  • Intake: Psychiatric Diagnostic Evaluation CPT 90791
  • 60-minute Individual Psychotherapy CPT 90837
  • 45-minute Individual Psychotherapy CPT 90834
  • 30-minute Individual Psychotherapy CPT 90832

If you are interested in billing insurance, you may use Thrizer to verify your benefits. You can also contact your insurance company directly to find out the reimbursement amount for “out-of-network” counseling.

I’d recommend asking these questions to your insurance provider to help determine your benefits:

  • Does my health insurance plan include mental health/telehealth benefits?
  • Do I have a deductible? If so, what is it, and have I met it yet?
  • Does my plan limit how many sessions per calendar year I can have? If so, what is the limit?
  • Do I need written approval from my primary care physician in order for services to be covered?

I am an OON Certified Tricare East provider (a fancy way of saying ‘TRICARE-authorized provider not in the TRICARE network”) for those living in Virginia.  If you are Prime, you will need a PCM referral for OON providers. I can assist in writing a letter to request a referral from your PCM. 

Additionally, I am IN-NETWORK with Johns Hopkins Healthcare – Uniformed Services Family Health Plan (USFHP) for retired beneficiaries and their families, and active-duty families.

As a courtesy, I am happy to submit all claims on your behalf.

I am in-network with CareFirst BCBS, Aetna, Anthem BCBS, and Johns Hopkins Healthcare USFP. Please note: Cigna is pending to be out-of-network in the next 3-6 months. Please consider when using Cigna; if you are looking for long-term care, I may not be the right fit for you.

Depending on your insurance, I currently use a company called Headway to verify benefits, and manage billing and admin work so I can place all of my focus on our work together. 

What to expect with using Headway?
The Headway team will reach out via email to help you set up your account and add your insurance and payment details. You’ll see your cost/session ahead of time and check your benefits any time here. You can reach them directly at hello@headway.co and they can help with any insurance, billing, or account questions. 

I am an independent contractor offering televideo sessions with Chugach Counseling & Consulting that is based out of Eagle River, AK. I am in-network with Aetna, BlueCross BlueShield, TriCare, and TriWest.

Please contact me or visit Chugach Counseling & Consulting if you would like to use your insurance benefits.

Message-based therapy is where you communicate with your therapist via e-chat, online text messaging, or e-Journal. You exchange these messages online in a secured way via a client portal. These messages can be in live time or with a delay. After our initial televideo session, we discuss if this fits your therapeutic treatment.

All services are via a secured platform

Payment is due at the time of service. I accept all major credit cards as a form of payment through my secure practice platform, Practice Better. If you’re using insurance, your form of payment is stored with them to process your co-pays (if any) the day of service.

Therapy sessions are scheduled in advance at a time reserved exclusively for you. When a session is canceled without adequate notice, I am unable to fill this time slot by offering it to another current client, a client on the waitlist, or a client with a clinical emergency.

If you are unable to attend a session, please make sure you provide me, at least 24 hours, notice of the cancellation via email or messenger.

If you cancel your appointment prior to 24 hours, you will be rescheduled with no penalty.

Cancellations made without 24 hours’ notice but prior to the start of the session incur a $50 late-cancellation fee unless rescheduled within 5 business days.

No-shows or cancellations, especially if it becomes habitual, made after the start of the session incur a $100 fee.

**Of course, we understand when emergencies come up. Cancellation fee can be waived in the event of an act of God, natural disaster, serious illness, or an emergency situation such as a car accident. If you are unsure of your circumstances, please contact me to discuss!

You may visit the FAQ section or contact me for any additional questions you may have. I look forward to hearing from you!