Dr. Chantal Gagnon & Associates offers Psychotherapy, Counseling, Family Therapy, and Couples Counseling in Plantation, FL; serving the following cities: Fort Lauderdale, Weston, Davie, Cooper City, Sunrise, Tamarac, Hollywood, and Dania Beach.
This section is intended to provide an overview of our policies and practices. It is not meant as a detailed or comprehensive list of policies. Additional details about our policies and privacy practices is provided as part of your new client/patient paperwork at your first office visit.
Credit Cards & Payment
Payment is due at the time services are provided. The easiest and most convenient way to pay is by credit card or debit card. We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. For individuals with insurance coverage, we will gladly file a claim on your behalf with your insurance company (for insurance companies that we participate with) so that your visit may be covered in accordance to your policy benefits. However, please keep in mind that patients are ultimately always responsible for payment, should your insurance company fail to pay the claim. Also, only certain services, like psychotherapy, are generally covered by insurance. Other services, such as specialized testing, reports to court or probation, life coaching, and others may not be covered. For additional information on payment and insurance related issues, please contact our office.
Cancellations, Rescheduled Appointment and “No-Shows”
Your visit has been reserved specially for you. If you are unable to attend your appointment, please be sure to give at least 48 hours notice to cancel or re-schedule. Since it is necessary for most therapists to maintain a full schedule in order to remain in practice, last minute cancelations or "no-shows" have a signifiant impact. Without adequate notice, the therapist can not put another patient or client in that time slot.
THERAPY/COUNSELING: If you "No-Show" your appointment or if you cancel or reschedule with less than 48 hours notice, you will be billed THE FULL SELF-PAY RATE FEE for the missed session. Insurance companies do not reimburse for missed appointments. Therefore, PATIENTS ARE DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYING.
PSYCHIATRY: Initial Psychiatry visits can NOT be canceled or refunded; they can be rescheduled with 48 hours advance notice of the original appointment. For follow-up psychiatry visits, if you "No-Show" your appointment or if you cancel or reschedule with less than 48 hours notice, you will be billed THE FULL SELF-PAY RATE FEE for the missed session. Insurance companies do not reimburse for missed appointments. Therefore, PATIENTS ARE DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYING.
Unfortunately, in order to avoid discrimination, exceptions can not be made except for documented illness.
Cancelations for evaluations and forensic or expert witness services are billed at the full hourly for those services.
Emergencies
In the event of an emergency, please call our 24-hour answering service at 954-559-2936. The telephone staff will be able to assist you in contacting the clinician-on-call. Another option is for you to contact the Broward County 24 hour Crisis Hotline at 954-463-0911, or call 911, or go to your local emergency room.
Confidentiality
Communication with your counselor will be kept in confidence and will not, except under the circumstances explained below, be shared with anyone outside of the Counseling Center, unless you give us written authorization to do so.
Exceptions to confidentiality mandated or permitted by law include:
We may break confidentially if there is risk of imminent harm to any person (yourself or another identified person).
When we have reason to suspect that a minor, elderly or disabled person is in danger of being abused or neglected we are legally required to report this to the appropriate authorities.
If a court of law or federal security entity orders the release of certain information about a client we are legally required to comply with this order (although we work to release the minimum information needed).
To obtain reimbursement from your insurance provider (although we work to release the minimum information needed).
If you file a lawsuit or other legal action against your counselor, the counseling center, or its employees, information from your records could be released as appropriate to respond to the lawsuit.
In the case of treatment of minors, confidentiality (the psychotherapist-patient) privilege, belongs to the minor and records are not released to parents, except where required by law.
Additionally, please be aware that if a credit card or debit card billing chargeback/dispute is submitted to your credit card company or bank, Chantal M. Gagnon & Associates and/or Chantal M. Gagnon, LMHC will respond to this dispute and this may include revealing dates-of-service and services provided, as needed to resolve the dispute.