Welcome to my practice. Thank you for choosing me for your medical care. I would like to take this opportunity to provide you with some information about what to expect for your initial consultation appointment with me.
Initial consult structure:
My office is located in Bergen Park on the way to Evergreen [click here for directions]. When you arrive at my office, please make yourself comfortable in my waiting room. You will notice a toggle-style light switch labeled with my name. Flipping this on turns on a discreet light in my office and alerts me to your arrival. I will come out and meet you at our scheduled appointment time. Please refrain from knocking as I may be with another patient prior to your appointment. At your appointment time I will come to the waiting room to meet you and to gather any paperwork you have completed prior to your visit. My intake forms may be accessed online [here]. I ask that you complete these prior to our appointment. I will review your paperwork then return to the waiting room and invite you to my consultation office. By completing my forms, I am able to gather general background history and your goals in eeking this consultation before we meet, allowing us to focus more efficiently on the critical details of your situation and our treatment planning.
I typically meet with new patients for 1.5 hours. Our focus will be on pertinent history then on possible treatment options for your individual situation. I have an educational style and I will include you in the decision making process unique to your situation. Many of my patients jot notes or bring question lists to their visit to maximize benefit. I have a note pad available for you to use or you may bring your own.
Forms:
I ask that you complete and sign a Personal Information Sheet which lists your name and contact information and any insurance information you chose to utilize. The more complete you are, the easier it is for my billing manager to list all your information on a Heath Insurance Claim Form. My Office Policies Sheet requires only a name, signature, and date. The Intake Form is my longer history-gathering paperwork. I am looking for the biological basis for conditions and any relevant genetic history as well as your general background and goals in seeking care. This form may require 30-60 minutes to complete.
Additionally, other information you write out for me can be of great benefit in getting more out of your initial consult appointment with me. This may include a more detailed medication history with medication tried, doses & frequency, duration of trial, and your assessment of the result. In substance related conditions a timeline showing substances used and intensity over the course of your lifetime can be helpful to us both. If sleep is a problem, I often ask you to complete a sleep log. By taking less than 60 seconds each morning to complete this in the time prior to your initial appointment, we will have specific data at your intake that will guide our treatment decisions the very first time I meet you.
Finally, feel free to make a list of questions you may have and I will be glad to address these with you.
Confidentiality:
Your confidentiality is very important to me and I have great respect for the personal nature of information you share with me. I live locally and my patients sometimes ask what will occur if we see each other in the community. While I am always pleased to exchange a smile, I will not approach you in public and will respect your privacy. If you choose to approach me, I will follow your lead in conversation but will not discuss or reveal any details of your care with me to others. I find that it is best that your trust and confidence regarding clinical matters be kept and saved for our office visits.
Billing and Insurance:
I do not accept insurance directly in my practice. My patients pay at the time of service. I have a Billing Manager who prepares a Health Insurance Claim Form (HiCFA) for you on a once-a-month basis on paid accounts. She will mail this directly to you and you may submit it to your insurance carrier for
reimbursement at your discretion. Since there is great variability in insurance coverage for psychiatric services, please address specific questions concerning your policy with your individual insurer. I recommend you contact your insurance provider before seeing me to ensure you fulfill any requirements of your policy if you intend to use your insurance. Please note that you are responsible for obtaining a referral for psychiatric care if your policy requires this.
I accept payment in the form of cash, check, or credit card (Mastercard, Visa or Discovery only.) To schedule an initial consultation my office staff will gather credit card information to hold your appointment. If you do not have a credit card, mail-in pre-payment is required to schedule the initial consultation. I do this because I must schedule a substantial portion of my time for your intake and I dedicate this time to your uninterrupted care; no-shows mean time lost that could otherwise be used for another patient in need. I appreciate your understanding with this as it means I commit to being available for you at your appointment.
Weather Cancellations:
I follow Jefferson County Public Schools weather cancellation policies. If school has been cancelled I will not require that you come to your appointment. On these days, I am often in the office unless the weather is truly extreme. Call my office if you have questions about whether your appointment is cancelled. I can occasionally provide follow-up appointments by phone in certain circumstances.
Contact Information and Emergency Services:
My office phone is 303-674-6074. I receive many phone calls each day and attempt to return calls as best as I am able. Out of necessity, I must triage calls and return those that require urgent reply first. I have an Office Manager who assists me with returning calls, particularly when they involve any non-clinical matters. I may have this person contact you for additional detail in clinical issues to assist me with managing my telephone load. Emailing is not available at this time for security reasons and for protection of your confidentiality.
For clinical emergencies, for existing patients only, I carry a digital pager. I ask that you restrict paging me to situations involving possible hospitalization or critical medication reactions unless we have made other specific arrangements. If, for any reason in a critical situation, you cannot reach me in a timely manner, please call 911 or go to your nearest hospital emergency room.
On weekends, I share coverage with a large group of rotating psychiatrists to allow for time off. These other physicians will generally not have specific information regarding your individual situation. You may contact them in an emergency. Typically their role is one of facilitating hospitalization in an
emergent situation. I ask that you not contact them for routine matters, particularly including medication refill requests as these matters should be handled on routine business days.
Thank you:
Again, thank you for choosing me as a member of your medical care team. I am always glad to answer any further questions you may have in person at your appointment.
Sincerely,
Andrew Leifer, M.D.
Initial consult structure:
My office is located in Bergen Park on the way to Evergreen [click here for directions]. When you arrive at my office, please make yourself comfortable in my waiting room. You will notice a toggle-style light switch labeled with my name. Flipping this on turns on a discreet light in my office and alerts me to your arrival. I will come out and meet you at our scheduled appointment time. Please refrain from knocking as I may be with another patient prior to your appointment. At your appointment time I will come to the waiting room to meet you and to gather any paperwork you have completed prior to your visit. My intake forms may be accessed online [here]. I ask that you complete these prior to our appointment. I will review your paperwork then return to the waiting room and invite you to my consultation office. By completing my forms, I am able to gather general background history and your goals in eeking this consultation before we meet, allowing us to focus more efficiently on the critical details of your situation and our treatment planning.
I typically meet with new patients for 1.5 hours. Our focus will be on pertinent history then on possible treatment options for your individual situation. I have an educational style and I will include you in the decision making process unique to your situation. Many of my patients jot notes or bring question lists to their visit to maximize benefit. I have a note pad available for you to use or you may bring your own.
Forms:
I ask that you complete and sign a Personal Information Sheet which lists your name and contact information and any insurance information you chose to utilize. The more complete you are, the easier it is for my billing manager to list all your information on a Heath Insurance Claim Form. My Office Policies Sheet requires only a name, signature, and date. The Intake Form is my longer history-gathering paperwork. I am looking for the biological basis for conditions and any relevant genetic history as well as your general background and goals in seeking care. This form may require 30-60 minutes to complete.
Additionally, other information you write out for me can be of great benefit in getting more out of your initial consult appointment with me. This may include a more detailed medication history with medication tried, doses & frequency, duration of trial, and your assessment of the result. In substance related conditions a timeline showing substances used and intensity over the course of your lifetime can be helpful to us both. If sleep is a problem, I often ask you to complete a sleep log. By taking less than 60 seconds each morning to complete this in the time prior to your initial appointment, we will have specific data at your intake that will guide our treatment decisions the very first time I meet you.
Finally, feel free to make a list of questions you may have and I will be glad to address these with you.
Confidentiality:
Your confidentiality is very important to me and I have great respect for the personal nature of information you share with me. I live locally and my patients sometimes ask what will occur if we see each other in the community. While I am always pleased to exchange a smile, I will not approach you in public and will respect your privacy. If you choose to approach me, I will follow your lead in conversation but will not discuss or reveal any details of your care with me to others. I find that it is best that your trust and confidence regarding clinical matters be kept and saved for our office visits.
Billing and Insurance:
I do not accept insurance directly in my practice. My patients pay at the time of service. I have a Billing Manager who prepares a Health Insurance Claim Form (HiCFA) for you on a once-a-month basis on paid accounts. She will mail this directly to you and you may submit it to your insurance carrier for
reimbursement at your discretion. Since there is great variability in insurance coverage for psychiatric services, please address specific questions concerning your policy with your individual insurer. I recommend you contact your insurance provider before seeing me to ensure you fulfill any requirements of your policy if you intend to use your insurance. Please note that you are responsible for obtaining a referral for psychiatric care if your policy requires this.
I accept payment in the form of cash, check, or credit card (Mastercard, Visa or Discovery only.) To schedule an initial consultation my office staff will gather credit card information to hold your appointment. If you do not have a credit card, mail-in pre-payment is required to schedule the initial consultation. I do this because I must schedule a substantial portion of my time for your intake and I dedicate this time to your uninterrupted care; no-shows mean time lost that could otherwise be used for another patient in need. I appreciate your understanding with this as it means I commit to being available for you at your appointment.
Weather Cancellations:
I follow Jefferson County Public Schools weather cancellation policies. If school has been cancelled I will not require that you come to your appointment. On these days, I am often in the office unless the weather is truly extreme. Call my office if you have questions about whether your appointment is cancelled. I can occasionally provide follow-up appointments by phone in certain circumstances.
Contact Information and Emergency Services:
My office phone is 303-674-6074. I receive many phone calls each day and attempt to return calls as best as I am able. Out of necessity, I must triage calls and return those that require urgent reply first. I have an Office Manager who assists me with returning calls, particularly when they involve any non-clinical matters. I may have this person contact you for additional detail in clinical issues to assist me with managing my telephone load. Emailing is not available at this time for security reasons and for protection of your confidentiality.
For clinical emergencies, for existing patients only, I carry a digital pager. I ask that you restrict paging me to situations involving possible hospitalization or critical medication reactions unless we have made other specific arrangements. If, for any reason in a critical situation, you cannot reach me in a timely manner, please call 911 or go to your nearest hospital emergency room.
On weekends, I share coverage with a large group of rotating psychiatrists to allow for time off. These other physicians will generally not have specific information regarding your individual situation. You may contact them in an emergency. Typically their role is one of facilitating hospitalization in an
emergent situation. I ask that you not contact them for routine matters, particularly including medication refill requests as these matters should be handled on routine business days.
Thank you:
Again, thank you for choosing me as a member of your medical care team. I am always glad to answer any further questions you may have in person at your appointment.
Sincerely,
Andrew Leifer, M.D.