West End Medical Associates was started in 2000 by Drs. Seidman, Pelton and Nunes, colleagues at Columbia University. We are a loose group of individual private practices. Each psychiatrist provides evaluation, education and treatment for a whole range of mental disorders and emotional problems. Although the administrative staff covers all of the doctors, the practices are entirely separate, and patients should address clinical issues exclusively with their specific doctor.

HOURS:
Our office hours are: Monday through Thursday, 8:00 am to 9:00 pm. We are sometimes -- but not reliably-- in the office Friday and Sunday.
Requests for prescription refills should be made during these office hours. We require 2 business days notice to process refills, so please request refills prior to running out of medications -- particularly if it is a medicine that we cannot call in to your pharmacy (and must mail to you).

APPOINTMENTS:
Initial visits are ninety minutes long. Follow-up appointments are 30 minutes.
You have the option to receive a courtesy confirmation call one day prior to any existing appointments. These calls are a courtesy only. You are responsible for your scheduled appointments and will be responsible for any fees incurred from missed or late arrivals, regardless of whether or not your appointment was confirmed.

PHONE:

• Voicemail messages left during business hours will be returned promptly.
• Messages left on evenings, weekends and holidays will be returned the following business day.
• In the event of an emergency, proceed go to the nearest emergency room or call 911.

EMAIL:

• Email communication is inherently non-confidential. By communicating with WEMA via email, you are accepting the inherent insecurity and the privacy risks therein.
• Email communication is not to be used for complicated medical matters, urgent issues or emergencies.
• All communication with the doctors and staff will become part of your medical record.
• Email communication does not constitute legal notice to the doctors such as where notice is required by contract or any federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations.
• The doctors do not reply via email, but will gladly respond with a return phone call if requested. Office staff will reply by email.

PAYMENTS:
For your convenience, we accept cash, checks, Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover.
Our fees are based on time and skill, as well as overhead factors. It is our goal to provide you with the best possible services for the fees we charge. In order to keep our overhead as low as possible, we require payment of all fees at the time of service. If for any reason this is not possible, financial arrangements must be made prior to your visit.

INSURANCE:
None of the doctors participate in any insurance panels. Some plans will reimburse a portion of fees paid for out-of-network services. Please consult with your insurance carrier in advance.

FEES FOR MISSED APPOINTMENTS:
Missing an initial appointment = full fee
Missing a follow-up appointment = $50 first time, thereafter full fee
Once an appointment is scheduled, this time is reserved for you only. In order for us to see all of our patients at the scheduled time, it is extremely important that you arrive on time for your appointment. If you miss an appointment, you’ll need to reschedule. Note that refill requests may not be honored if follow-up appointments have not been kept. New patients who do not arrive on time or do not show for their initial appointment will be required to pay the full visit fee prior to rescheduling. This will be applied to the missed appointment, not to the rescheduled appointment.

An appointment will be considered “missed” in each of the following situations:

• You arrive more than 30 minutes late for your appointment.
• You cancel an appointment without sufficient notice (48 hours for the initial appointment, 24 hours for a follow-up).
• You don’t show for a scheduled appointment.

OTHER FEES:

• Telephone conferences between you and your provider = based on the length of the conversation.
• Letters and forms completed on your behalf = based on the time required to complete the letter or form.

If this account is assigned to an attorney for collection, the prevailing party shall be entitled to reasonable attorney’s fees and cost of collection.

CONFIDENTIALITY:

• The content of sessions is confidential except in the following situations:
  in cases where a patient may be a danger to self or others, in cases of suspected child or elder abuse, in cases where a patient may be incapable of taking care of him/herself, or certain legal proceedings when required by a judicial subpoena.
• Medical records are separately maintained, and no one else can have access to them without your specific, written permission.

New York Prescription Monitoring Program Registry
All the doctors uses the State of New York Department of Justice Prescription Drug Monitoring Program to access controlled substance prescription history.

Acknowledgement of Receipt for ‘Notice of Privacy Practices’ (HIPAA)

I have received (paper or online version) the Notice of Privacy Practices and I have been provided an opportunity to review it.
My signature indicates that I have read the above office policies and consents, and agree to abide by these terms during our professional relationship.
The undersigned patient or responsible party (parent, legal guardian) consents to, and authorizes services, by the doctors of West End Medical Associates which may include evaluation, psychotherapy, medication therapy and laboratory tests.

The undersigned understands that he/she has the right to:

• Be informed of and participate in the selection of treatment modalities.
• Receive a copy of this consent.
• Withdraw this consent at any time.