FAQ & POLICIES

FAQ & Policies

What is Direct Primary Care? As a member, can I submit visits to my insurance?
Under the Direct Care (DPC) model, the patient (you) receives comprehensive mental health care directly from their DPC physician (Dr. Patterson). The patient pays for this care through a reasonable monthly fee, paid directly to Dr. Joanne Psychiatry, LLC. That fee covers many primary mental health care services, like office visits, neurocognitive assessments, etc. We will be paid by you as a direct care member, not your insurance company.

Because DPC practices either limit the amount of insurance plans accepted or do not participate in any insurance plans, the provider is able to avoid the ever-increasing and costly documentation demands and administrative intrusions that come with accepting insurance. These require staff, time, and money, often amounting to substantial intrusions on patient privacy.

Because DPC physicians avoid most of these obligations to insurance companies, they are free to spend that time listening to and treating patients. And because DPC physicians eliminate the significant overhead costs of participating in insurance, they can pass the savings on to you, the patient – and give compassionate, attentive and timely care at an affordable cost. Honestly, it allows us more time to build relationships. We believe it's these relationships that do the real healing work.

You will still use your insurance to pay for labs, imaging, referrals, medications, hospitalizations, etc. If your insurance covers a particular service, then it doesn't matter who orders it. So, as long as your insurance will cover the service, Dr. Patterson can order it for you. (You can call your insurance to confirm this is true for your specific insurance plan.)

The membership simply pays for your access to our office and any services that we offer here.
Should I still have insurance?
Yes. You need health insurance for the big things like cancer, heart attacks, and auto accidents etc.. We encourage you to have a major medical plan. It is important that you verify your health insurance coverage when you arrange your first visit. For your privacy, Dr. Joanne Psychiatry, LLC also accepts self pay patients. We will be happy to provide you with a detailed statement of insurance reimbursement, as some insurance companies may reimburse you. Each company is different so we recommend you contact your insurance company directly. You must live in the state where Dr. Patterson is licensed. Please note: Dr. Patterson does not admit patients to the hospital. Upon discharge, your outpatient care will continue by this office.
Will I still benefit from a membership even if I don't see you that often?
Absolutely. You will be able to instant message Dr. Patterson. Not all problems require a visit but maintaining your mental health is very important. Maintenance is key. Shouldn't you have a maintenance plan for your life? Since you never know when you will be in urgent need of mental health care, it is nice to have a personal relationship with a provider when you do.
What if Dr. Patterson is on vacation?
Unless there is an emergency, we will do our best to notify you when upcoming vacations and away-times are, so that you can plan to be seen before she leaves.
Payments
Non-Members & Insured Patients: Payment is due at the time of service. Further explanation of payment and specific policies will be detailed in the intake packet provided to new clients via the practice's secure patient portal. Our online payment system accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover credit/debit card payment options including HSA debit/credit cards.

Direct Care members: You will be automatically charged at the beginning of each month.
Cancellation Policy
Non-Members & Insured Patients: Failure to keep your scheduled appointment will result in a charge of 100% of the appointment fee unless you cancel at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the appointment time. In emergent circumstances, please contact us immediately.

Direct Care members: No worries! You are covered.

Medication Refill Requests
Clients receiving prescriptions for medication will receive enough medication until the next scheduled follow-up appointment. Therefore, calling for refills is generally not necessary. Too often clients remain on medications for longer than is necessary or tolerate unnecessary side effects because they do not meet with their mental health provider often enough. Dr. Patterson's goal is to minimize and optimize the utilization of medication when appropriate. For these reasons, out of appointment refills are not provided and you are encouraged to meet with her on a monthly basis.
Controlled Substances
Due to strict monitoring requirements associated with controlled substance prescribing, controlled substances will not be prescribed via telepsychiatry without an in person evaluation and urine drug screen.

MARYLAND: This practice does not prescribe benzodiazipines (Klonopin, Xanax, Ativan, Valium, or similar medications), sedatives/hypnotics (Ambien, Lunesta or similar medications) nor stimulants (Vyvanse, Adderall, Focalin or similar medications) without an in person evaluation and urine drug screen. Cannabis or medical cards are also not prescribed.

NEVADA: At this time, this practice does not prescribe benzodiazipines (Klonopin, Xanax, Ativan, Valium, or similar medications), sedatives/hypnotics (Ambien, Lunesta or similar medications) nor stimulants (Vyvanse, Adderall, Focalin or similar medications).

Our office is conveniently accessible from the following communities:

Maryland (MD):
Baltimore 21208 - Baltimore Bethesda 20814 - Bethesda 20816 - Bethesda 20817 - Chevy Chase 20815 - Colesville 20904 - Cabin John 20815 - Glen Echo 20812 - Gaithersburg 20855 - Gaithersburg 20877- Gaithersburg 20878 - Gaithersburg 20879 - Garrett Park 20896 - Kensington 20895 - Montgomery Village 20886 - Olney 20830 - Olney 20832 - Potomac 20854 - Potomac 20859 - Rockville 20850 - Rockville 20852 - Rockville 20853 - Silver Spring 20903 - Silver Spring 20905 - Silver Spring 20906 - Silver Spring 20910 - Takoma Park 20912 - Wheaton 20902

Terms & Conditions

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PRIVACY STATEMENT
We are committed to protecting your privacy and developing technology that gives you the most powerful and safe online experience. This Statement of Privacy applies to our Practice's Web site and governs data collection and usage. By using this website, you consent to the data practices described in this statement.

Collection of your Personal Information
This Practice collects personally identifiable information, such as your e-mail address, name, home or work address or telephone number. This Practice also collects anonymous demographic information, which is not unique to you, such as your ZIP code, age, gender, preferences, interests and favorites.

There is also information about your computer hardware and software that is automatically collected by this website. This information can include: your IP address, browser type, domain names, access times and referring Web site addresses. This information is used for the operation of the service, to maintain quality of the service, and to provide general statistics regarding use of this Web site.

Please keep in mind that if you directly disclose personally identifiable information or personally sensitive data through public message boards, this information may be collected and used by others.

This Practice encourages you to review the privacy statements of Web sites you choose to link to from the website so that you can understand how those Web sites collect, use and share your information. This Practice is not responsible for the privacy statements or other content on any other Web sites.

Use of your Personal Information
This Practice collects and uses your personal information to operate the Web site and deliver the services you have requested. This Practice also uses your personally identifiable information to inform you of other products or services available from this Practice and its affiliates. This Practice may also contact you via surveys to conduct research about your opinion of current services or of potential new services that may be offered.

This Practice does not sell, rent or lease its customer lists to third parties. This Practice may share data with trusted partners to help us perform statistical analysis, send you email or postal mail, provide customer support, or arrange for deliveries. All such third parties are prohibited from using your personal information except to provide these services and they are required to maintain the confidentiality of your information.

This Practice does not use or disclose sensitive personal information, such as race, religion, or political affiliations, without your explicit consent.

This Practice will disclose your personal information, without notice, only if required to do so by law.

Use of Cookies
The Web site uses "cookies" to help this Practice personalize your online experience. A cookie is a text file that is placed on your hard disk by a Web page server. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you, and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you.

Security of your Personal Information
This Practice secures your personal information from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. This Practice secures the personally identifiable information you provide on computer servers in a controlled, secure environment, protected from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. When personal information (such as a credit card number) is transmitted to other Web sites, it is protected through the use of encryption, such as the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol.

Changes to this Statement
This Practice will occasionally update this Statement of Privacy to reflect company and customer feedback. We encourage you to periodically review this Statement to be informed of how this Practice is protecting your information.

Contact Information: Please contact us by phone at 888-210-4050 or by mail at 6701 Democracy Blvd, Suite 300 Bethesda, MD 20817.

What is Direct Primary Care? As a member, can I submit visits to my insurance?

Should I still have insurance?

Will I still benefit from a membership even if I don't see you that often?

What if Dr. Patterson is on vacation?

Payments

Cancellation Policy

Medication Refill Requests

Controlled Substances