FAQs

I am out-of-network with all insurance companies, both private and government-funded. Clients whose insurance plans allow for out-of-network reimbursement and who would like to access this benefit pay the full fee of their and then are given a ‘superbill’ – a medical invoice for reimbursement at out-of-network rates.

You are still able to use FSA, and HSA funds for your care with me. It is your responsibility to file for reimbursement if this is required by your FSA/HSA provider.

I value your privacy above all else. When you pay for my services, I can assure your complete confidentiality and privacy. If you choose to find a prescriber or therapist on your insurance plan and pay a co-payment for a visit with them, your insurance company then has the right to view your records at any time. The same is true when filing a superbill for out-of-network reimbursement.

Please go to Pricing for detailed information. Please note: The prices listed on my website are effective as of 10/17/2024. 

Let’s make sure we’re a good fit!  I’ve built and authored this webpage with as much transparency as possible – it’s full of information and true to how I practice. Please do a deep dive of my site to see if your treatment goals and my approach match.

If so, please click here to go to my HIPAA-compliant web form to request a new client intake appointment. We’ll reach out to you within one business day to get you scheduled. 

I have intentionally structured my webpage to include many of the answers potential clients might ask – and I’m still happy to answer more detailed questions in a 15 minute online introductory meeting. A Discovery Call is not mandatory. You may request on when filling out this HIPAA-compliant web form.

To make the most efficient use of your time and mine, this meeting will be limited to 15 minutes, please have your most important questions ready to be answered during our call. (No diagnosis or treatment recommendations will be made during a Discovery Call.)

• Whether we have a Discovery Call or not, before your intake appointment, you will prompted via text and email to create an account in Osmind’s desktop patient portal. (I do not recommend downloading their mobile app – it has minimal functionality.)  You can use the desktop Osmind website to do the following:
  • Complete mood questionnaires,
  • Upload a primary payment method and a backup payment method – this can be a debit or credit card, an FSA or an HSA card. (All payments are processed through Stripe. I will not have access to your payment information after you enter it.)
  • Upload your insurance information. No, I do not accept any insurance, but if I send you for bloodwork or other testing, this  information can be used by the outside lab to bill your insurance.
• You will receive an invitation to Spruce – this is HIPAA compliant and the primary way we communicate with clients. You may use the desktop version of Spruce, but we strongly recommend downloading the app as well and enabling notifications.
• If we see you are missing forms or portions of them, we’ll reach out to let you know what’s been missed.
• Once you have completed ALL the intake forms, we can schedule your intake appointment.  
• If you need guidance, my assistant, Alexis (she’s awesome!), will help navigate you through the next steps with intake forms.

After completing our web form and deciding to move forward with treatment, your initial visit is scheduled for 90 minutes, though not all intakes last this long. This is considered a thorough assessment of your previous health history (physical and mental), as well as what currently concerns bring you in for care. 

This visit is further time for us to further explore whether we are a good therapeutic match, so you’ll be asking questions of me as well. This is your healthcare – it’s important you feel free to ask questions that help you gauge whether my treatment approach aligns with your needs and goals. If we need additional time to gather a complete history, this will be done at a follow-up visit. 

Late cancellations take appointment slots away from other clients. I request 48 hours’ (two full business days) notice for cancellations. (For example, Monday appointments must be cancelled by the previous Thursday.) Cancellations made prior to this window are rescheduled with no penalty. The full charge for a visit will be applied to the card on file for no-shows or cancellations made within 48 business hours of the start of the appointment.

Occasionally, follow-up appointments can be changed to telehealth to avoid cancellation. However, advanced notice is required. Please contact me within your Osmind portal if you need to switch to a telehealth appointment.

The most efficient means of communication is through the Spruce app and/or web-based Spruce portal, which you will set up during your new client intake process. 

The Spruce desktop portal and app are HIPAA-compliant platforms that allow us to communicate securely about your care. I have HIPAA compliant end-to-end encrypted email for my practice, but that does not mean emails you send to me are 100% secure. Be mindful of this with email communication. Once you are an established client, please send all messages containing personal health information through Spruce. (Messages in Osmind, my charting system, are not monitored. Osmind is clunky and inconsistent in delivering messages, which is why we use Spruce. )

Simple questions requiring fewer that 5 minutes of my time outside of a scheduled visit (for example: clarification on medication dosing) will be addressed via Spruce. If you question or concern warrants more than 5 minutes or warrants a visit, I have a prorated fee for longer responses via Spruce or phone call. Please see my Pricing page. 

Our discussions, patient portal communications, and your care are private and confidential. To increase privacy, please communicate with me via Spruce once you are established as a client.

Prior to your new patient intake, you’ll be provided with the privacy policy and be given the opportunity to sign it. The document will be provided to you at that time, and will also be available to you upon request. 

You may use a release of information (ROI) form if you’d like your records sent or shared with other providers or entities. 

I am an obligated reporter and must disclose personal information in the following cases: 

• you present with a serious danger to yourself or others
• cases of abuse or neglect
• if I am court-ordered on your behalf
• an insurance company requests information for reimbursement.

Links provided for telemedicine will work on your desktop, smartphone, or tablet. I primarily use Zoom, as it is HIPAA compliant. Prior to your initial new patient visit, you will be provided with the Telemedicine Policy and given the opportunity to sign it. The document will also be provided to you at that time and available in the future at your request. 

During telemedicine visits, the following is required:

• You must attest that you are located within the state lines of Kentucky or Colorado for this visit (this is required by law).
• You must not be driving.
• You must have a safe, secure, quiet, and private environment. 
• You must have sufficient lighting so I can see your face.
• You must be sober and clothed.

Once we have established a therapeutic relationship and have had a few visits, I will gladly assist with FMLA forms and short term disability forms for an additional fee (please see Pricing for further details). PLEASE NOTE: SSDI and long-term disability forms vary widely and require someone with expertise in this area to properly complete them. I will happily refer you to providers who are adept at SSDI and long term disability paperwork. 

My professional and personal liability insurance carriers do not allow me to write ESA (Emotional Support Animal) letters. 

I am not able to complete any paperwork for newly established clients – it takes several visits for me to know enough about you, your needs, or your limitations.

I see clients age 18 years and up. 

What are all those letters after my name? Here’s my alphabet soup: MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC

I am a Masters-prepared (MSN) board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP-BC). I am also board-certified as a family nurse practitioner (FNP-BC). APRN = Advanced Practice Registered Nurse – in Kentucky, it is the agreed-upon professional designation of nurse practitioners and other nurses with advanced clinical training.

I’m currently licensed in Kentucky and Colorado. I have previously held licenses and practiced in Georgia, Ohio, and Texas.

I am licensed in Kentucky and Colorado. My physical office is located in St. Matthews, in Louisville, KY. 

I offer telehealth visits for your convenience, but I also value the opportunity to welcome you into my office and to hold a therapeutic space for you. With limited exception, I require that our full intake visit be in-person, rather than via telehealth. 

While we’re right across the river from Indiana, I the bureaucracy of the licensing procedure and the associated oversight requirements in Indiana place an undue burden on nurse practitioners. As such, I require that my clients who are Indiana residents either be seen in-person or that they verify they are physically located in the state of Kentucky for their telehealth visit.