Office Policies

A brief overview of our clinic policies can be found below. At your first visit, we will provide you with further details and ask you to signify that you understand our clinic policies.

General Policies:

No use of cameras, video equipment, recording equipment, or cell phones is permitted inside of our office space. Please ensure that your cell phone is on silent mode at each of your visits.
Any and all disclosures of your medical information whether it be attorneys, spouses/significant others, or family members require written authorization by the client. There are only a few exceptions to your HIPAA protections: Concerns related to suicide or homicide, abuse of children/the elderly, or treason.
We will ask that you provide an emergency contact number should the need arise.
Please do not bring young children with you to your appointment.

Payment Policies

Payment (either in-full or your co-pay) is required prior to being seen by our providers. We accept debit cards and credit cards. We do not accept cash or personal checks.
If you have not met your deductible, we will collect the full fee schedule prior to your visit, until your deductible has been met.
For out of network patients, professional services are charged to the client, not the insurance company. We do not file nor do we collect your insurance claim and we are unable to negotiate a settlement on any disputed claims. The percentage of your subsequent reimbursement is determined solely by the type and level of coverage you have purchased from your insurance carrier.
Payment for mental health services are typically authorized by health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts.
A “no-show” appointment is defined by either not arriving to the appointment, canceling with less than 24 hours’ notice, or arriving more than 10 minutes late for your scheduled appointment. Any “no-show” appointment will be charged $100. If you have missed two appointments within a year’s time, we reserve the right to dismiss you from the clinic.

Medication Policies and Refills

No refills will be provided if you do not keep your regularly scheduled appointments.
Early refills for stimulants and benzodiazepines are not possible and are not permitted by pharmacies or Pinnacle Premier Psychiatry.
We are not able to accept fax requests from pharmacies for medication refills.
It is often requested that we provide a 90 day supply of your medications. We reserve the right to determine the quantity we will provide at any given visit. Often, it is ill-advised to be followed for medication management with such a significant interval.
Pinnacle Premier Psychiatry does not treat pain and we do not prescribe opiates, methadone, or buprenorphine.
A number of our medications have potential adverse metabolic effects, as such, we expect that all of our patients maintain regular visits with a primary care Physician that can assist in monitoring and managing potential metabolic side effects.
Benzodiazepines and stimulant prescriptions will be managed via a “hard copy” prescription. These medications will not be “called-in” to a pharmacy. If you happen to lose your hand-written prescription, it will be at the Physician’s discretion whether or not to provide you with another prescription. This is a protracted process as we have to contact your pharmacy and also confirm through a state database that the medication in question was not filled. The fee to provide a new prescription is $50.
There is now an extensive computerized pharmacy database in place in Arkansas. Patients who are found to be receiving controlled substances from multiple providers will be terminated from the clinic and we will be obligated to notify any providers that also provided you with controlled substances.
Changes in dosage or frequency of controlled substances are made only at in-person clinic visits. We will not make changes to controlled substances without a scheduled appointment with one of our caregivers.

Paperwork

When you arrive, we will ask you to fill out our “Patient Demographics” form. If, in the interest of time, you would like to download and complete this prior to your appointment, it can found under the “Forms” section of our website.
Disability forms, telephone calls to employers, authorization to return to work letters/written excuses for missing work will be provided on a fee for service basis. Said fee must be paid prior to Pinnacle Premier Psychiatry completing the paperwork and the charge will be proportionate to the time required to complete your request from any form of medication management or psychotherapy.
Concerning FMLA paperwork and authorization: A request for FMLA requires a separate appointment from any form of medication management or psychotherapy. FMLA paperwork is an extensive and, due to the time investment, the fee for us to complete your FMLA paperwork is $150 and is separate from the fee ticket you will receive for your appointment.
Any patients that do receive FMLA will be required to have monthly appointments with the Physician, APN, or the Physician Assistant.
If appropriate, we will assist in completing your disability paperwork. However, just as with FMLA paperwork, the fee is $150 to complete your forms and our participation will, in no way, include in-person legal testimony.
Oftentimes, insurance companies require a “prior authorization” in order to fill your prescription. We are happy to submit this form on your behalf, though we will not discuss your case via phone consultation with the pharmacist or any Physician employed by your insurance company. Please note that it is not uncommon that, for reasons unexplained, your insurance company may deny said authorization.

Regarding phone consultations and after hours concerns

As previously noted, controlled substances such as stimulants and benzodiazepines are not managed over the phone.
Pinnacle Premier Psychiatry does not offer after-hours services, nor do we check messages outside of our regular business hours. If you are experiencing an emergency, we recommend that you present to the nearest emergency room or call 911.
Typically we are able to return telephone calls on the same business day; however, we only address phone calls that are related to medication side effects or medication questions. We do not offer any form of psychotherapy, counseling, relationship advice, etc. over the telephone.
Telephone conversations that require more than 10 minutes of time will be billed as a regular office visit and is separate from the invoice you will receive for your appointment and this charge will be separate from the invoice you will receive for your appointment.