INTRODUCTION
Thank you for reviewing our web site, and in particular, the fee schedule page. The following information is offered up front so as to provide a clear explanation and understanding of our policies. We attempt to operate our counseling center on the premise of integrity and transparency. What is posted on this page is what you can expect while working with us. The fees and policies are described in detail so you can make informed decisions about your health care and avoid ‘surprises’.
The fee schedule and policies may seem overly straight forward as you first read through them. Please know that each paragraph is based on many years of experience in providing therapeutic services to our community. The purpose of these guidelines is three-fold: first, to promote professionalism and consistency on our part by maintaining affordable and flexible therapeutic opportunities for you. Secondly, to prevent a small minority of people from wasting the counselor’s time and thus preventing us from serving others in need. Thirdly, in order to accomplish those goals, we endeavor to ensure a few non-payers and ‘No Shows’ do not run up the cost of providing services which directly impacts all other patients. We thank you ahead of time for your understanding and willingness to trust us with your care.
FINANCIAL POLICY RELATED TO TREATMENT
Counselor Cash Pay Fee Schedule: The following cash pay fee schedule is effective as of April 1, 2018 and will affect all new clients. The schedule has built-in payment options based on credentialing / licensure status, level of expertise, training, and education – from practicum students to doctoral level therapists. A client has an array of professional counselors from which to choose. Each credentialing step is described below with their corresponding fees. Regardless of credentialing, each cash pay intake is approximately 90 minutes with normal sessions being 45-50 minutes. A normal double session may be up to 90 minutes with a possible short break. Each insurance paid intake and normal session is 50 to 60 minutes as determined by the insurance industry.
The credentialed levels are as follows:
Practicum Students. Having completed a bachelor’s degree, these individuals are in the last stages of their master’s degree program in marriage and family counseling, psychology, or social work. Generally, they are fulfilling the state mandated degree program requirement of 300 face-to-face hours of counseling. Without it, they are ineligible to graduate! Practicum students serve the client under the auspices and close supervision of his/her psychology department chair. Here at Homestead Hope Counseling, on site supervision is also provided by the Director of Clinical Care. These counselors are able to provide cash pay intake and regular sessions. They cannot accept insurance.
Practicum Students: Intake Fee: $65 Normal Session: $35
Licensed Professional Counselor Intern (LPC Intern) & Social Work Associates (SW Associates). LPC Interns and Social Work Associates (interns) have graduated from a master’s degree program in marriage and family counseling, psychology, or social work. They have passed the National Counselor’s Exam or Social Work equivalent, Juris Prudence Exam, and have been awarded a Provincial Counseling License by the State of Texas. They are actively fulfilling the state mandated, 3000 hours of supervised counseling required to receive full licensure. In the process, these interns are provided a minimum average of one hour of interaction and instruction by their supervisor every week. All interns providing services at Homestead Hope Counseling are supervised by either the Director of Clinical Care or another employee licensed to supervise. These professional counselor interns and associates are able to provide cash pay intake and regular sessions. They cannot accept insurance. Double sessions may be considered on a case by case basis.
LPC Intern: Intake Fee: $105 Normal Session: $65
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT), Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW). All of these categories are licensed counselors. The LPC is a more generalized licensure qualified to assist in multiple areas to include marriage and family issues. The LMFT is focused primarily on marriage and family but usually broaden their scope to many other areas of expertise. The LMSW is qualified to conduct family counseling, but is also educated in community social work. Each LPC, LMFT, and LMSW have completed the rigors of the Intern as described above and hence, are fully licensed to counsel without supervision. Though not under supervision, they are required by state law to maintain a minimum of 12 Continuing Education Credit hours (CEU) every year. Here at Homestead Hope, they all work under the watchful eye of the Director of Clinical Care. We meet regularly with each other and with various professional groups to maintain the sharp edge counseling requires. These counselors are able to provide cash pay intake and regular sessions. Some may accept insurance on a case by case basis.
LPC, LMFT, LMSW: Intake Fee: $175 Normal Session: $120
Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (LPC-S). Supervisors are Licensed Professional Counselors who have been counseling for at least five years prior to subjecting themselves to additional rigors of training and specialization. Their level of expertise has been enhanced by additional state required training that enables them to teach, guide and supervise practicum students and licensed interns in multiple areas of theoretical models, counseling techniques, and law and ethics, to name a few topics. Some supervisors are eligible to teach undergraduate and graduate level courses in the areas of psychology and counseling. These counselors are able to provide cash pay intake and regular sessions. Some may accept insurance on a case by case basis.
LPC-S: Intake Fee: $190 Normal Session: $135
Doctoral Level Therapists. These counselors are licensed as those above. However, they have a higher level of education with clinical counseling or empirical research being at the core of their doctoral dissertation. They have earned a doctorate degree and the accompanying title of Doctor. They are not Medical Doctors and therefore, do not prescribe or manage any type of medication. Though knowledgeable in pharmaceuticals, most are not considered experts in the field. These counselors are able to provide cash pay intake and regular sessions. Some may accept insurance on a case by case basis.
PhD, PsyD, DCoun: Intake Fee: $210 Normal Session: $150
Prepare / Enrich Premarital and Marital Assessments: $85
Office Resources: ‘Finder’s fee’ is as marked on the resource. The finder’s fee charged for resources is not covered by insurance. A Flex card cannot be used for such purchases. The charge may be paid via cash, check or credit card on file.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Homestead Hope Counseling Services, LLC is not able to render services without a valid credit card on file, beginning with the very first appointment. Due to the rise of unforeseen and or unpredictable nonpayment, debit cards are NOT acceptable. Unfortuantly, there can be no exceptions to this policy, so please, do not request one.
Those using a Flex card may do so for insurance related services only. The Flex card cannot legally be used to pay for ANY other fees or costs. Therefore, those using a Flex card will also need to provide a non-Flex credit card to cover other costs.
Credit card and insurance payments may be accepted on a case-by-case basis depending on the company. All fees, deductibles or co-payments are due at the beginning of session, except for the first session. Payment for the first session will be accepted when the appointment is made, usually via credit card. The first appointment cannot be scheduled without the deposit. In the event that you are unable to keep an appointment, to include the first appointment, we ask that you notify us at least 24 hours in advance in order to avoid being charged a Cancellation Fee. If notification is made inside of the 24-hour window, a Cancellation Fee of $85 for the first (Intake) session or $55 for each session hour thereafter will be charged immediately to your credit card on file. Failing to present oneself or minor child at the allotted time without prior notification of cancelation is considered a No Show. Cancelling the appointment after the appointed time has passed is also considered a No-Show. The No-Show Fee is equal to the full cash pay fee as stated above and applies to ALL appointments, to include the first appointment, and to ALL clients (cash pay, EAP or insurance), and is payable immediately via your credit card on file. An invoice indicating Cancellation or No-Show fees will be provided at your request. Although there may be legitimate reasons for missing an appointment, you are never-the-less responsible for payment – not your insurance carrier and not the counseling center. For legitimate reasons beyond the client’s control, the Director of Clinical Care may opt to waive the first cancellation fee, if he believes it is warranted. After that however, there are no waivers. The office staff nor counselors are authorized to waive or change fees.
The office number is 817-812-3021. Leaving a voice mail is NOT considered appropriate notification. You may leave a message if necessary, but you should follow up with a phone call to ensure the notification has been received. An email to hhoffice@homesteadhope.org is also helpful. That too should be followed up with a phone call. You will know your appointment is cancelled when you receive a notification via Full Slate, our scheduling service. Full Slate will not allow cancellations within the 24 hour window. In that case, you will need to call the office.
If the appointment is outside the 24 hours window, you can cancel by clicking on the link in your email notification message. It will take you to Full Slate. Scheduling and rescheduling, but not cancelling, can be done via our web site by clicking on the Set Appointment tab, or by calling the office. First time clients will need to call the office to set up their first appointment.
Scheduled appointment times are not adjusted according to arrival times. If you are late, you can expect the session to end at the prearranged time.
Other Fees: A fee equal to the cost of a normal session will be charged for telephone consultations and or administrative duties that are over and above normal charting. Oral or written communications with the patient/client, family members, other practitioners, hospitals, insurance companies, employers, union representatives, courts, CPS, etc. are chargeable to the patient/client or insurance carrier, which ever applies. The intent here is not to nickel and dime the patient/client but to discourage and minimize out of session discussions and activities.
The non-sufficient funds (NSF) fee for returned checks is $30 per incident – not per appointment. The non-sufficient funds (NSF) fee for a declined credit card charge is $10 per incident – not per appointment. Will attempt to process the card once per day for a maximum of three days. Example: If we attempt to bill a card three times, and all three attempts are declined, the total fee would be $60. It is very important to ensure funds are available at the time of services. All fees are due and payable immediately via credit card on file. A Flex card cannot be used to pay for NSF fees.
Returning Clients: We attempt to maintain the cash pay price throughout the first year of the therapeutic process without cost increases. However, if a client terminates treatment for a period of six months or more, they are subject to whatever increase has taken place since their departure. New fees will apply upon their return. Those who have returned to therapy after a 12-month or more will also be asked to reinitiate the entire intake process, as a lot can happen in a year’s time.
Automatic Payments: All patients/clients, who are uninsured, insured, or whose insurance does not cover the cost of mental health counseling services are personally responsible for all payments. Any balance not paid for by the end of the scheduled session will be automatically charged to your designated credit card on file. You may request a receipt for services to submit to your carrier for out of network reimbursement. The outcome of such an attempt is between you and the carrier, not Homestead Hope.
As a courtesy to you, we may elect to bill your health insurance carrier on your behalf and wait up to but no longer than 60 days for payment. Please remember however, that you are ultimately responsible for payment. After day 60, if the insurance company has not paid the bill, your credit card will be charged any and all unpaid amounts without further notice. Any double payments made will be immediately refunded to you. Past due fees may be sent to a collection agency and reported to the credit bureau at our discretion.
If you have any questions, feel free to call the office. Our staff will be more than happy to serve you.