H Berryman Edwards, MD, FAPA

OFFICE POLICY AND INFORMATION FOR PATIENTS

This information is intended solely for the use of patients under Dr. Edwards' care or for prospective patients to understand Dr. Edwards' policies.

WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS
First we want to thank you for choosing Dr. Edwards as your psychiatrist. Health care has become very complex and demands more than ever that the patient be knowledgeable in order to make decisions about treatment options. It is important that you know your rights and responsibilities as a patient, what you can expect from your psychiatrist, and how psychiatric treatment works. We hope that providing this information in writing will reduce the likelihood of misunderstanding. Please ask the doctor if you need further clarification regarding any of these issues or policies.

DR. EDWARDS IS A PSYCHIATRIST
Today there are professionals of many disciplines providing assessment, medication management, counseling or psychotherapy, some claiming to provide psychiatric services. Among these, psychiatrists alone have an MD (or DO) degree like other physicians. They also have special training in prescribing psychiatric medications. Psychiatry is a medical specialty requiring training beyond that necessary to become a physician.

TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS
After graduating from University of Virginia School of Medicine Dr. Edwards completed four years of internship and residency training in the medical specialty of psychiatry at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York City. He was trained in "family systems" psychotherapy at Center for Family Learning in New Rochelle, New York. He is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in "Psychiatry with Added Qualifications in Addiction Psychiatry and with Added Qualifications in Forensic Psychiatry." He is also certified in Addiction Medicine by the American Society of Addiction Medicine. He has been in continuous private practice since 1983.

SERVICES DR. EDWARDS PROVIDES
Your first contact with any physician usually includes a diagnostic examination. At the end of this the doctor discusses your diagnosis and treatment alternatives. Psychiatric treatment usually involves medication or psychotherapy or a combination of the two. Dr. Edwards can also refer you to other professionals if indicated either for consultation or for treatment.

Occasionally a psychiatric diagnosis or treatment becomes an issue in a legal proceeding or insurance claim. Any time Dr. Edwards must spend in connection with such administrative activities will be billed at his basic hourly rate for non-clinical services. This would include, for example, telephone conference with an attorney or insurance case manager, completion of insurance forms, travel time, record review, preparation, court testimony, and deposition.

Dr. Edwards also provides psychiatric expert witness and independent examination services. These services will not be provided to current or prior patients of Dr. Edwards. Dr. Edwards' does not provide treatment to patients he has evaluated as an expert witness or independent examiner in the past.

Dr. Edwards is responsible only for providing diagnosis and treatment services. He is not able to predict or prevent the patient or significant other from harming himself or others or from other actions that might have adverse consequences. Patients are responsible for their behavior.

Medication: There is strong evidence from careful research that many psychiatric disorders involve imbalances of chemicals in the brain. You and Dr. Edwards may consider, as part of your treatment, the use of drugs that can alter these imbalances with an acceptable risk of adverse or "side" effects. Dr. Edwards will usually provide you with information regarding the expected therapeutic effects and side effects prior to or during your treatment as needed. Psychotherapy may be beneficial as well, provided by a non-physician psychotherapist of your choice.

Dr. Edwards expects to see you regularly to monitor your response to the medication and any adverse effects you may experience for as long as he is prescribing it for you. These visits will usually last no more than about 15 minutes. Dr. Edwards will want to see you as often as weekly until your treatment has become stable, then visits can be monthly or even less often as indicated.

Medication refills are ordered by fax Monday through Thursday and Friday mornings only. Do not let yourself run out of medication. It is your responsibility to allow us sufficient time to refill prescriptions during normal business hours. Please do not wait until a Friday or the day before a holiday to call for a refill. Dr. Edwards only orders medication refills for active patients with a scheduled follow up appointment.

Taking the wrong medication can lead to serious complications, including death. In order to minimize medication errors physician, pharmacist, and patient must each be vigilant. It is the patient's responsibility to examine any medication purchased from a pharmacy at the time of purchase. If you are not sure it is the medication you expect, return it to the pharmacist at the time of purchase and ask the pharmacist to contact Dr. Edwards. Dr. Edwards will not be responsible for reimbursing you for purchasing the wrong medication even if he has ordered the wrong medicine.

IF YOU ARE PROVIDED PSYCHOTHERAPY SERVICES BY ANOTHER PROFESSIONAL
Many non-psychiatrists are able to provide psychotherapy. If you choose to see Dr. Edwards for medication management only, it is important that you understand that the doctor has no responsibility for the psychotherapy services you receive elsewhere and that Dr. Edwards is unable to assess the psychotherapist's qualifications, methods, or ethical standing. He will expect the psychotherapist to keep him apprised of significant changes in your condition or treatment.

TELEPHONE CONTACT
Dr. Edwards expects patients who are experiencing unpleasant or unexpected effects of medications he prescribes to call during normal business hours. Please do not call him at night. Dr. Edwards does not provide psychotherapy services over the telephone. Bring pressing issues to the next visit or ask for an earlier appointment. Calls from family or friends will not be returned except by prior arrangement. If you expect Dr. Edwards to return a call you must deactivate blocking of calls whose caller ID is blocked. Dr. Edwards will not deactivate ID blocking to return such a call.

EMERGENCIES
Dr. Edwards does not provide emergency services. If you think you need emergency medical attention please call 911, go to the nearest hospital emergency room, or call the Crisis Clinic or County Designated Mental Health Professional. (Check your local directory for the correct phone numbers.)

SCHEDULING
Dr. Edwards' office hours vary. Medication management visits are scheduled to end no later than 6:00 PM. The office is closed on weekends.

LATENESS, CANCELLATION AND BROKEN APPOINTMENTS
Dr. Edwards tries to start all appointments on time. Dr. Edwards charges $50.00 for missed appointments. We do not bill insurance for broken appointments since insurance only pays for actual services rendered. If Dr. Edwards is late in starting a session he will attempt to make up the time, but if the patient is late he will not extend the session. If you need to cancel or move an appointment, please call us as soon as you can so another patient can use the appointment time.

WHEN DR. EDWARDS IS NOT AVAILABLE
Dr. Edwards will arrange for another psychiatrist to be available when he is out of town. Please respect that another physician may have different policies. Dr. Edwards will usually provide a brief summary of your case to the physician in case you need medical attention before Dr. Edwards returns. Dr. Edwards may not inform you of a planned absence ahead of time.

STOPPING TREATMENT
Although some psychiatric disorders benefit from medication, or occasionally psychotherapy, for indefinite periods of time, many patients stop treatment altogether or decide to seek treatment with a different psychiatrist or psychotherapist. Like most important decisions regarding relationships, this one is best made after discussion and input from patient and physician. The success of any physician patient relationship depends greatly on indefinable qualities we sometimes refer to as "chemistry." Because of this Dr. Edwards wants you to feel free to discuss with him your interest in changing to a different physician or psychotherapist. He may be able to assist in finding the best provider for your particular needs.

Dr. Edwards may find it necessary to end your treatment without your agreement. For example, this may be done if you choose not to comply with treatment recommendations to such an extent that the treatment is ineffective. Psychiatric services may also be stopped for non-payment of fees. Under certain circumstances Dr. Edwards will remain your physician of record for thirty days after he has advised you that he will no longer provide care. This may include providing medication refills when Dr. Edwards believes that discontinuation might lead to significant risk of relapse of your illness. Dr. Edwards will not provide referral to another provider if he believes that there has been a show of bad faith, that you have abused your relationship with the doctor, that you have deliberately harmed yourself or others, or that continued treatment is not likely to help you.

CONFIDENTIALITY & MEDICAL RECORDS
In the past the confidentiality of information imparted to a physician by a patient was considered almost sacred. Today, however, that confidentiality is limited by law and other factors. For example, if Dr. Edwards is ordered to do so by a judge or court, he may be required to release this information. The law requires limited release of information when a physician has reason to believe that a patient will harm himself or another person. Physician also have a duty to report suspected child abuse and misconduct of another professional to appropriate authorities.

Insurance companies and other third-party payers sometimes ask for information about your diagnosis and treatment. They may request a copy of the entire medical record. Your specific written authorization will be required before we will honor such a request with the possible exception of cases involving workers' compensation (L&I) claims where Dr. Edwards may be required by law to release records without your authorization. You may wish to discuss this with Dr. Edwards. You may also wish to ask your insurance company who will have access to sensitive information and how it will be stored and transmitted. You may print Dr. Edwards' authorization form, sign it, and bring, fax or mail it to the office.

If you do not want correspondence or telephone calls at your home or office, please inform the office manager.

When family members are involved in your treatment, someone may want to reveal information to the doctor that other members of the family do not know. Secrets can create problems in families and can interfere with progress in treatment. They are usually best avoided, but Dr. Edwards prefers that revelation of secret information be done only by family members directly to one another after adequate preparation and consideration of consequences. If you feel the need to bring secret information to Dr. Edwards' attention, tell him that you want to do so first and make it clear to him that the information is a secret. He may prefer that you keep the information secret from him until you yourself feel ready to share it with the rest of the family. He cannot guarantee he will not disclose the information inadvertently, but he will make every effort to protect your confidence. He may encourage you share the information yourself. If he believes that maintaining a secret prevents progress in treatment, he will tell you this. This may ultimately lead to a decision to end the treatment. Please ask the doctor to clarify his policies regarding family secrets if you find this confusing.

Dr. Edwards may discuss aspects of your case anonymously with other professionals from time to time to assist him in providing you the best and most enlightened treatment possible.

We keep a record of your evaluation and treatment. You may ask us to see and copy that record. If after examining the record you find that you disagree with the information contained therein, you may also ask us to correct that record.