Office Policies
Office Hours and Location
I see clients on week days and evenings; week end appointments for emergencies
are also available. I offer telephone therapy for established clients. I
do not do “online therapy”. Frequency of sessions ranges from
twice per month to three times weekly. My office is located in Burlingame,
California in San Mateo County on the Peninsula. The office is easily
accessible via BART/CalTrain/buses and has
free parking.
Fees
The standard fee for a 50 minute session is $160.00. Clients are responsible for payment at the time of the session unless other arrangements have been made. There is a 48 hour cancellation policy. There is no charge for the initial telephone consultation. This consultation is an opportunity for us to talk at length to get a sense of each other, for you to tell me about yourself and your situation, and for me to assess if I can help you. If I cannot meet your needs, I will be happy to refer you to a therapist who might be a better fit for you. If my standard fee is a hardship, please let me know – I will try my best to work out a sliding scale fee that is affordable for you. I believe strongly that money issues should not interfere with people getting help. If we cannot work out a suitable fee, I can refer you to credible low-cost counseling centers.
Insurance
If you have PPO coverage, please check with your plan for annual deductible, maximum allowed number of outpatient psychotherapy sessions, and payment per session. I will help fill out the appropriate insurance forms so you get reimbursed directly from your insurance company. I also supply you with bills for therapy – weekly or monthly – based on your preference. I am not a provider for HMOs.
HIPAA
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a law (in effect since April, 2003) created to protect patients who were previously ill from losing their health insurance when 
they change jobs and/or residences. HIPAA insures that a patient's medical record, health information, payment history, etc. remain private and prevents them from being disclosed without the patient's written consent. HIPAA specifically sought to standardize electronic information about not only patient's health, but also financial and administrative data. It set security standards for protecting confidentiality of data such as: health claims, enrollment and disenrollment details, payments for care, coordination of benefits, plan eligibility, claim status, and related transactions.
Because I am not a member of HMOs nor am I a provider for PPOs, I do not use electronic transmission of billing information to obtain payment. I am exclusively a fee-for-service provider and will bill you directly. You may, however, choose to be reimbursed by your insurance company. Because my practice is not electronically mediated, I am not bound by the requirements of HIPAA. I do, however, maintain utmost strict confidentiality of client information and safe-keeping of client-records, as mandated by the law. I also preserve the integrity of client disclosure, consistent with sound ethical/clinical practice.