Appointment policies
Your appointment time is reserved for you and you alone- on each day there is a waiting list for cancellations.
24 hours is required to reschedule your existing appointments- otherwise there is a late cancel fee of $150 that is automatically assessed to your credit card on file.
Your request to cancel an existing appointment must be made with Shelbey our administrative assistant, the most expedient way is to email admin@riverbendtherapeuticalliance but you also call her at 860-245-9364.
If you are no show to an appointment, contact the office after the start of your appointment, or join your appointment after the grace period, you will be assessed the $150 fee for follow ups, $300 for evaluations. Fees must be paid prior to any new appointments can be made.
There is a 10-minute grace period for intakes, and a 5-minute grace period for all follow ups.
While our software does send out reminders, ultimately you are responsible for remembering to record your appointment and remember it. At any point, you can view it on MyIO app to see the next appointment.
Exceptions to this policy are evaluated and assess situations on a case-by-case basis by your provider. Please submit relevant documentation via portal prior to your appointment and it will be discussed in confines of an appointment. It can only be refunded by your provider.
Existing patients may only request a follow up appointment through self-scheduling on app.
Your account must be kept current to continue to be seen. If you have bad debt, or past due amount and it is not paid in full prior 2 business day prior to the appointment, your appointment will be cancelled and will only be rescheduled after this debt is paid.
If your appointment needs to be rescheduled because of provider conflict, you will receive a text and email as soon as possible to inform you of this emergent change.
Telehealth and in-office visit information
Currently in-person appointments are available one working day per week, usually Tuesday or Thursday and by appointment only.
If there is a weather event that closes schools, you will receive a text message and email that all appointments have been converted to telehealth.
If you are sick, or have been exposed to someone with flu, COVID, or RSV- do not come to the office. Please update admin via email or via phone you will be conducting visit via telehealth because of illness.
If you come to the office for an in person visit and are exhibiting s/sx of upper respiratory infection, you will be asked to leave, and it will count as a late cancel or no show.
Documentation requests
There is a $75 fee for each instance of FMLA paperwork being completed. All FMLA requests must be discussed in an appointment prior to paperwork being processed.
Riverbend Therapeutic Alliance PLLC DOES NOT complete social security disability paperwork but you can request your records at anytime if you believe it will help you case. Records are 30 cents per page. Please draft an email to tanya@riverbendtherapeuticalliance.com. We do respond for records requests within 30 days of the receipt of a records request.
Riverbend Therapeutic Alliance PLLC DOES NOT certify therapy, or emotional support animals
No Abuse Policy
No verbal or written abuse of any kind to any member of the organization is tolerated.
If a staff member reports an incidence of abuse to leadership, the patient is discharged immediately.
In addition, it includes defacing or damaging property within the office common.
Communication with Providers
All communication with clinical team and providers is done within the patient portals.
If your issue requires a change in treatment plan, the nursing team will triage you for a sooner appointment. You should indicate if you want to be placed in first available automatically OR if you want to be put on the waiting list.
If you are having a psychiatric or medical emergency, call 911 immediately and seek evaluation at your local emergency room.
Medications Policies and Refills
Medications are both adjusted and changed in the context of your scheduled appointments.
Medications are always prescribed in sufficient quantities to get you to your next appointment. (Example if you are seen every 3 mos., your follow up will be scheduled 11 weeks after your appointment so you will have 7 days of medications on hand at your next appointment.)
We suggest checking after your appointment to make sure everything you need is at the pharmacy, you will get an automatic text message from our system when something is sent in for you.
Keeping this algorithm allows us to minimize out-of-appointment administrative time on you, the clinical staff,and providers.
Refill requests will not be honored after a missed appointment until the patient is seen again.
Prior to requesting or inquiring about a refill with the nursing care team, please contact your pharmacy to ensure that there are none on file for you.
Refill requests via voicemail or telephone will not be fulfilled or acknowledged.
Refill requests are only honored through messages sent through patient portal, at least two business days prior to running out. Do not request via automatic pharmacy messages as these are often misplaced via fax or electronic system.
To ensure safe prescribing:
- We do not prescribe opiates and benzodiazepines.
- We do not fill controlled medications early.
- If you are found to be receiving controlled medications from other providers, it is grounds for immediate discharge.
- We must be the sole prescriber for all psychiatric medications, or you will be discharged.
No controlled medications will be filled earlier than due without a police report that documents your medications have been reported stolen.
You will always be provided with sufficient medication if your appointment is cancelled because of a provider conflict/emergency. You will receive blast text and email go out as soon as it is possible about the cancellation and our nursing team will ensure you have sufficient medications to get to your next appointment.
VYVANSE SHORTAGE
The DEA is reporting a national generic Vyvanse shortage related to a shortage of the active drug ingredient. Currently this is not projected to be resolved until mid May 2024.
Due to this shortage, you may have to call multiple pharmacies to find your medication.
First ask your primary pharmacist if a local pharmacy within the chain has your Vyvanse dose on hand OR if they have the chewable version on hand.
Please know that CVS, Walgreens, Stop and Shop, small local pharmacies, Walmart, and Costco all have different suppliers. You can see if they have your dose on hand at another kind of pharmacy. (Don’t forget to ask about chewable with other pharmacies!)
Please put in portal:
Drug
- Dose
- Formulation (capsule or chewable)
- Pharmacy name
- Address
- Town
- Phone
Finally, if this becomes to be too much of a burden on your executive function and you wish to discuss other ADHD treatments with your provider, please move your appointment up with Shelbey and let the nursing care team know.
We are trying to check frequently and being mindful of the shortage.