Policies & Procedures

Overview

Wellful Psychiatry, PLLC does not discriminate on the basis of religion, race, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, previous incarcerations, disability, or public assistance status.

Every client:

Shall be informed prior to or at the time of the intake appointment of the services available at Wellful Psychiatry, PLLC, and of any payments that will be required if not covered by the client's health insurance.
Can expect complete and current information concerning their diagnosis and individual treatment plan in terms they can understand.
Can expect courteous and respectful treatment.
Has the right to be informed of and to refuse to participate in any experimental treatments.
Has the right to choose freely among available mental health professionals and practitioners in the community and to change providers after services have begun within any contractual limits of the client's health insurance policy.
May assert the client's rights without retaliation.

In addition to the rights listed above, clients utilizing services offered by practitioners licensed by the State of Iowa have the right to (a) expect that the practitioner has met the minimal qualifications of training and has the experience required by state law; (b) examine public records which contain the credentials of the practitioner; and (c) obtain a copy of the rules of conduct.

Malory Larson, MSN, ANRP, PMHNP-BC is the sole proprietor of Wellful Psychiatry, PLLC. She is board certified and licensed to practice in the state of Iowa without restrictions.

Health Insurance Procedure

Wellful Psychiatry, PLLC is in network with Iowa Medicaid (Wellpoint, Molina, and Iowa Total Care), United Healthcare, Cigna/Evernorth, Quartz, Aetna, BCBS, and Midlands Choice. If we are in network with your insurance company, as a courtesy to you, we will work directly with them in an effort to collect the reimbursement allowed by your benefits. It is important that you understand your benefit coverage. For benefit coverage questions, please call the customer/member service phone number on the back of your insurance card. Although we can assist you, ultimately it is your responsibility, prior to your first appointment, to verify your plan's limitations, deductibles, and exclusions and to obtain updates as required. We will make all attempts to verify your insurance benefit coverage and obtain any necessary authorizations for you. Verification of benefit coverage is not a guarantee of claim payment. All benefits are subject to the terms and conditions outlined in your contract with your insurance company. We have no authority to make representations to you regarding the coverage of items or services covered.

In compliance with health insurance contracts, Wellful Psychiatry, PLLC requires that all co-payments be collected at the time of service. This includes payment towards coinsurance and deductibles. In some cases, the coinsurance/deductible amount collected will be an estimate, and adjustments will be made once a response is received from your insurance company regarding the claim. This may result in a credit to your account or additional charges. We do not have the option to waive co-payments, deductibles, or co-insurance amounts due as that would be a violation of the contract we have with the insurance company.

It is your responsibility to pay the full fee for services at the time they are rendered unless Wellful Psychiatry, PLLC is in-network with our insurance plan. We ask that you provide insurance card information prior to your first appointment so that we may keep a copy in your record in accordance with our contract with the insurance company. It is your responsibility to provide us with updated information if your insurance company or plan changes or your coverage terminates. It is also your responsibility to notify us of any changes in address or other contact information. If the insurance information you provided to us is later determined to be inaccurate resulting in a denial of your claim, you will be responsible for paying the amount denied by your carrier. It is your responsibility to pay any charges not eligible and/or not covered by your insurance plan.

If you discontinue care for any reason, all balances will become immediately due and payable in full by you using the card on file, regardless of any claim submitted. You will receive an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from your insurance company detailing charges, amounts you are responsible for, and amounts they have paid. We do not automatically send billing statements when there is an amount due. Should you need a statement or payment itemization please request it.

Treatment Policies

Wellful Psychiatry, PLLC is a private practice owned solely by Malory Larson, MSN, PMHNP-BC, who is a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. She provides medication management and supportive therapy to her clients. Treatment provides the opportunity for change, growth, and self-discovery in the context of a safe, supportive, and therapeutic relationship. The process of change will, in many ways, be unique to your particular situation. The initial appointment will involve an evaluation of your needs. The goal of the initial assessment is to provide you with some first impressions of what our work will include and a suggested treatment plan. Medication can have both benefits and risks. While benefits are expected from the treatment plan, specific results cannot be guaranteed. If at any time during treatment, you have questions about the effectiveness of the process, feelings about something Malory has said or suggested, or a need for clarification of our goals, please bring this up during your appointment. You may at any time initiate a discussion of possible positive or negative effects of entering, not entering, continuing, or discontinuing treatment.

Adolescents & Parents: Malory is licensed to treat children and adolescents. Adolescents ages 13 years of age or older have the right to independently consent to and receive mental health treatment without parental/guardian consent, and in that situation information about the treatment cannot be disclosed to anyone without the teenager's agreement. While privacy is very important, particularly with teenagers, parental/guardian involvement is also essential to successful treatment and requires that some private information be shared with parents/guardians. It is our policy to request a verbal agreement between our underage clients and their parents allowing us to share general information about the progress of treatment. Any other communication will require the adolescent's authorization unless we feel that they are in danger or are a danger to themselves or others, in which case we will notify the parents of our concern. Before giving parents any information, we will discuss the matter with the teenager, if possible, and do our best to address any objections they may have.

Referrals: In cases where a referral to another provider is needed, the client will be responsible for contacting suggested providers and evaluating the alternatives.

Appointments & No-show Policies

Successful treatment requires a commitment on the part of the client. It is important that you keep each appointment if at all possible. There are no telephone consultations. All appointments are either in person or via telehealth using our secure OptiMantra Patient Portal.

Telebehavioral Health

You will need access to certain technological services and tools to engage in telebehavioral health-based services with your provider.
Telebehavioral health has both benefits and risks, which you and your provider will be monitoring as you proceed with your work.
It is possible that receiving services by telebehavioral health will turn out to be inappropriate for you, and that you and your provider may have to cease work by telebehavioral health.
You can stop work by telebehavioral health at any time without prejudice.
You will need to participate in creating an appropriate space for your telebehavioral health sessions.
You will need to participate in making a plan for managing technology failures, mental health crises, and medical emergencies.
Your provider follows security best practices and legal standards in order to protect your health care information, but you will also need to participate in maintaining your own security and privacy.

24 Hour Cancellation Policy

We realize that, on occasion, you may not be able to make a scheduled appointment. If you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment, please notify us via the Patient Portal or phone (leaving a voicemail) at least 24 hours prior to your scheduled appointment. Please remember that your appointment time has been reserved for you alone. A missed or late canceled appointment will be considered a "no-show." It is our policy to charge $50 for each hour-long no-showed appointment and $25 for each 30-minute no-showed appointment. If you have Medicaid or Medicare, we cannot charge for a no-show. Clients who have three (3) or more no-shows may be referred elsewhere for services and discharged from Wellful Psychiatry, PLLC.
We value you as a patient and look forward to caring for you!

Communications Policies

Please be aware that email is not a secure form of communication and confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. The use of email for communication is strongly discouraged. Malory typically does not respond to emails from patients. Clients are encouraged to use the Patient Portal to send messages and/or requests for appointments or changes of appointments. Please use the button located on the Home screen to log in or create an account to gain access to our electronic health record (EHR) and the Patient Portal. You may also send communications via fax or US Postal mail, but Wellful Psychiatry, PLLC will not be responsible for any breach of confidentiality and cannot be held liable.

Electronic communications are NOT to be used to communicate:

Suicidal or homicidal thoughts or plans
Urgent or emergency issues
Serious or severe side effects or concerns
Rapidly worsening symptoms

***In a life-threatening emergency, call 911 or proceed to the nearest hospital emergency room***

Returning Phone Calls

Wellful Psychiatry, PLLC is operated solely by Malory, and therefore there will be times when no one is able to answer the phone. Please leave a message. Routine calls will typically be answered within 2 business days.

Medications: For medication refills, please use the OptiMantra Patient Portal to request a refill or contact your pharmacy and have them fax a request form to 800-507-8981. Please note that at Wellful Psychiatry, PLLC, as in many other private practices, Malory is not in the office every day. Please allow sufficient time for her to receive and respond to your message/refill request. Medication refills may take 3 business days from the day the request is received. Please request refills at least 1 week prior to running out of medications. Medication Prior-Authorizations may require up to 5-7 business days. Lost prescriptions for federally controlled medications are typically not replaced and require the client to report the lost medication to the police. A refill will be sent as soon as a police report number is provided to include on the prescription, or you can make an appointment to discuss alternative treatment options.

After Hours Emergencies

For after-hours medical emergencies or if you need immediate assistance, call 911 or visit your local emergency room, medical group, or primary care provider. Please also call/message Malory afterward and provide an update on your condition.

Other Crisis Numbers Include:

Call or Text 988 - Suicide & Crisis Lifeline - to connect with a caring crisis counselor for emotional support.

Off-Label Medication Use

The off-label use of a medication is defined as the use of a medication that is currently approved for use by the FDA in a manner that is different than its approved use. Many medications are commonly used off-label. An example of this would be using certain blood pressure medications for controlling anxiety.

Off-label use of medication is a legal and common practice for providers. Approximately 1 in 5 medications are prescribed off-label. You may be prescribed a medication for off-label use while you are under our care. In addition to this general information on off-label prescribing, you will receive specific instructions about any medication you may be prescribed and the intended use.

Medical Records, Forms, and Documents

All information within your medical record is confidential and will typically not be released without your written consent except as required to ensure coordination of your care. Requests for medical records must be given in writing by filling out and signing a release of information (ROI). Please allow up to 7 business days for transfer of medical records. If there is a request for printed copies, a fee of $15 dollars or $0.20 per page, whatever is higher, may be charged. If you request a letter, form, or report related to your care, please understand that preparation of these documents requires time for chart review and often a discussion with the client, so we ask that you make an appointment to provide accurate completion of these documents.

Court Related Fees

Letter writing/Document completion: $300/hour

Scheduled or Actual Court Appearance: $1,000 per day, plus $300 per hour, including travel.

Professional Fees

Customary fees for Malory Larson, MSN, PMHNP-BC are:

$550 for an initial 60-minute psychiatric evaluation
$225 for a medication management follow-up visit

If you intend to utilize insurance benefits, your actual cost out of pocket may be substantially less, depending on your coverage. In addition, reduced fees are offered for those without insurance coverage based on financial hardship. Please do not hesitate to ask for a discounted rate.

Payments: Wellful Psychiatry, PLLC accepts only credit or debit card payments. Please ensure the most accurate card is on file within the OptiMantra Patient Portal. Failure to pay any outstanding bill may result in the inability to schedule further appointments or dismissal from Wellful Psychiatry, PLLC.