At Fortitude Wellness Collective, LLC the therapeutic relationship is both personal and professional, governed by a clear contractual agreement. To ensure transparency and mutual understanding, it is important that you review the following policies, which outline what you can expect from your provider and your responsibilities as a client. Please review this information carefully and always ask your provider any questions.

The Therapeutic Process

Seeking therapy is a positive step toward growth and change, but the outcome largely depends on your willingness to engage in the process. Therapy can sometimes bring up difficult emotions, such as anger, depression, or anxiety, as you reflect on past experiences. While we cannot guarantee specific results or immediate changes in behavior or circumstances, we promise to support you, understand your unique patterns, and help you clarify your goals.

Confidentiality

Your privacy is of the utmost importance to us. All information shared in sessions, along with any related treatment materials, will remain confidential unless you provide written consent to release specific information to designated individuals (Release of Information). However, there are specific legal exceptions where confidentiality cannot be maintained, as listed below:

1. If you threaten or attempt to commit suicide, or exhibit behavior that poses a serious risk of harm to yourself.

2. If you threaten to cause serious harm or death to another person.

3. If there is reasonable suspicion that you, or someone else, is involved in the abuse (physical, emotional, or sexual) of a child under the age of 18.

4. If there is suspicion of abuse or neglect involving an elderly person.

5. If a legitimate court subpoena demands the release of your records.

6. If you are in therapy by court order or your records are required for legal purposes.

Our providers may consult with other professionals when necessary to provide you with the best care. In such cases, your identity will remain anonymous unless you provide explicit permission otherwise.

Public Encounters

If you happen to encounter your provider outside of therapy, they may not acknowledge you first to protect your privacy. If you choose to greet your provider, please note that they may not engage in extended conversations to maintain professional boundaries.

At Fortitude Wellness Collective, LLC we are committed to providing a safe and confidential space for your therapy journey.

If you have any questions or concerns about this policy, please email us at info@fortitudewellnesscollective.com

Generally, our therapeutic services range from $180-225 for a 53-minute session. Fees are based on a provider’s education, experience, credentials, and licensure level. Please get in touch with our practice to obtain rates for our providers.

Payment is required at the time of service. If your unpaid balance exceeds $200, future appointments may be postponed until the balance is cleared. This policy applies to both self-pay and insured clients.

Cancellations fees range from $50 to the full cost of the appointment ($180-$225), depending on the provider you are seeing. It is the client's responsibility to discuss any policies regarding late arrivals or cancellations with their provider during the first session.

Please remember to cancel or reschedule appointments at least 48 hours in advance. If you cancel with less than 48 hours' notice, you will be charged a fee that can range from $50-$225.

If you arrive late, the remaining time will be used, but you may lose part of the session. Please note that insurance does not cover cancellation or "no-show" fees, which are your responsibility and must be paid out-of-pocket.

To accommodate clients on our growing waiting list, those with frequent cancellations may have their therapy terminated after a review of their account.

To ensure our clients are fully informed of our policies related to insurance benefits, we encourage you to visit our Billing/Payment page for detailed pricing information. While we are credentialed with most BCBS/ CareFirst and Aetna plans, please be aware that not all of our providers accept insurance.

For in-network clients, it is your responsibility to have a detailed understanding of your insurance coverage along with any associated costs (co-pays, deductibles), and pre-authorizations required by your plan.

Please note, Fortitude Wellness Collective is not responsible for any denied claims or reimbursement delays from your insurance provider. It is the client's responsibility to resolve any issues directly with their insurance.

If you're running late by 20 minutes or more, we suggest rescheduling to ensure you receive full benefit from our services. If late, we can only offer the remaining scheduled time without a guarantee of additional makeup time. You can choose to continue with the remaining session, but please note that you will be charged for the full session as originally scheduled.

Regular attendance is key for progress in counseling. If three consecutive sessions are missed, we'll need to evaluate if it's the right time for you to engage in therapy. We aim to ensure our services are beneficial and fit well with your schedule, so continuous missed sessions might indicate the need for a pause or change in approach.

Ending the therapeutic relationship can be challenging, which is why it is essential to follow a structured termination process to ensure a sense of closure. The duration of the termination process will vary based on the length and intensity of your treatment.

There may be instances where our providers determine, after discussion with you, that therapy is not being utilized effectively or if there are unresolved payment issues. In such cases, we may initiate the termination process. However, we will not terminate our therapeutic relationship without first discussing the reasons for doing so and exploring alternatives.

Please note, if you fail to schedule an appointment for three consecutive weeks without prior arrangements, our providers reserve the right to consider the professional relationship discontinued.

This termination policy is in place to ensure that the therapeutic relationship concludes thoughtfully and respectfully.

If client's need to contact their therapist between sessions, please email them directly or contact info@fortitudewellnesscollective.com.

Our therapists are often not immediately available; however, we will attempt to return your email within 24 hours. In the event that you are out of town, sick, or need additional support, please contact our office at 202-505-1916. If a true emergency situation arises, please call 911 or any local emergency room.

We cannot ensure the confidentiality of any form of communication through electronic media, including text messages. If you prefer to communicate via email or text messaging for issues regarding scheduling or cancellations, we will do so.

We do our best to return messages in a timely manner, we cannot guarantee immediate response and request that you do not use these methods of communication to discuss therapeutic content and/or request assistance for emergencies.

Services by electronic means, including but not limited to telephone communication, the Internet, facsimile machines, and e-mail is considered telemedicine.

Due to the importance of your confidentiality and the importance of minimizing dual relationships, I do not accept friend or contact requests from current or former clients on any social networking site (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc).

We believe that adding clients as friends or contacts on these sites can compromise your confidentiality and our respective privacy. It may also blur the boundaries of the therapeutic relationship. If you have questions about this, please bring this up with your therapist during your session.

Effective January 1, 2022, the No Surprises Act, which Congress passed as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, is designed to protect patients from surprise bills for emergency services at out-of-network facilities or for out-of-network providers at in-network facilities, holding them liable only for in-network cost-sharing amounts. The No Surprises Act also enables uninsured patients to receive a good faith estimate of the cost of care.

Billing Disclosures – Your Rights and Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills

When you get emergency care or get treated by an out-of-network provider at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, you are protected from surprise billing or balance billing.

What is “balance billing” (sometimes called “surprise billing”)?

When you see a doctor or other healthcare provider, you may owe certain out-of-pocket costs, such as a copayment, coinsurance and/or a deductible. You may have other costs or have to pay the entire bill if you see a provider or visit a healthcare facility that isn’t in your health plan’s network.

“Out-of-network” describes providers and facilities that haven’t signed a contract with your health plan. Out-of-network providers may be permitted to bill you for the difference between what your plan agreed to pay and the full amount charged for a service. This is called “balance billing.” This amount is likely more than in-network costs for the same service and might not count toward your annual out-of-pocket limit.

“Surprise billing” is an unexpected balance bill. This can happen when you can’t control who is involved in your care — like when you have an emergency or when you schedule a visit at an in-network facility but are unexpectedly treated by an out-of-network provider.

You are protected from balance billing for:

Emergency Services

If you have an emergency medical condition and get emergency services from an out-of-network provider or facility, the most the provider or facility may bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount (such as copayments and coinsurance). You can’t be balance billed for these emergency services. This includes services you may get after you’re in stable condition, unless you give written consent and give up your protections not to be balanced billed for these post-stabilization services.

Certain Services at an In-Network Hospital or Ambulatory Surgical Center

When you get services from an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, certain providers there may be out-of-network. In these cases, the most those providers may bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount. This applies to emergency medicine, anesthesia, pathology, radiology, laboratory, neonatology, assistant surgeon, hospitalist or intensivist services. These providers can’t balance bill you and may not ask you to give up your protections not to be balance billed.

If you get other services at these in-network facilities, out-of-network providers can’t balance bill you, unless you give written consent and give up your protections.

You’re never required to give up your protections from balance billing. You also aren’t required to get care out-of-network. You can choose a provider or facility in your plan’s network.

When balance billing isn’t allowed, you also have the following protections:

You are only responsible for paying your share of the cost (like the copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles that you would pay if the provider or facility was in-network). Your health plan will pay out-of-network providers and facilities directly.

Your health plan generally must:

Cover emergency services without requiring you to get approval for services in advance (prior authorization). Cover emergency services by out-of-network providers.

Base what you owe the provider or facility (cost-sharing) on what it would pay an in-network provider or facility and show that amount in your explanation of benefits.

Count any amount you pay for emergency services or out-of-network services toward your deductible and out-of-pocket limit.

Get More Information

If you believe you’ve been wrongly billed, you may contact the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or visit cms.gov/nosurprises for more information about your rights under federal law.

Effective January 1, 2022, a ruling went into effect called the “No Surprises Act,” which requires mental health practitioners to provide a “Good Faith Estimate” (GFE) about out-of-network care to any patient who is uninsured or who is insured but does not plan to use their insurance benefits to pay for health care items and/or services. The Good Faith Estimate works to show the cost of items and services that are reasonably expected for your mental health care needs. The estimate is based on information known at the time the estimate was created. The Good Faith Estimate does not include any unknown or unexpected costs that may arise during treatment. You are entitled to receive this “Good Faith Estimate” of what the charges could be for psychotherapy services provided to you. While it is not possible for a psychotherapist to know, in advance, how many psychotherapy sessions may be necessary or appropriate for a given person upon the initiation of psychotherapy, this form provides an estimate of the cost of services provided. Your total cost of services will depend upon the number of psychotherapy sessions you attend, your individual circumstances, and the type and amount of services that are provided to you. This estimate is not a contract and does not obligate you to obtain any services from the provider listed, nor does it include any services rendered to you that are not identified here.

This Good Faith Estimate is not intended to serve as a recommendation for treatment or a prediction that you may need to attend a specified number of psychotherapy visits. The number of visits that are appropriate in your case, and the estimated cost for those services, depends on your needs and what you agree to in consultation with your therapist. You are entitled to disagree with any recommendations made to you concerning your treatment and you may discontinue treatment at any time.

If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate. For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call 1-800-985-3059.