At our practice, your health and wellness are our highest priorities. When you schedule an appointment, that specific time is exclusively reserved for you. Because telepsychiatry requires dedicated preparation, clinical review, and administrative time prior to your call, missed appointments impact our ability to care for you and prevent other patients in need from accessing timely care.

To maintain an efficient, fair, and high-quality practice, we strictly enforce the following policy regarding cancellations and missed appointments.

1. The 24-Hour Cancellation Requirement

If you need to cancel or reschedule your telepsychiatry appointment, you must do so at least 24 hours prior to your scheduled appointment time.

• Cancellations can be made directly through the secure Patient Portal, via email at petra@erskinpsychiatricpllc.com or by calling the office.

• Cancellations made more than 24 hours in advance will incur no penalty, and any pre-paid fees will be fully refunded or credited toward your next session.

2. Late Cancellation & No-Show Fees

An appointment is considered a "Late Cancellation" if it is modified or canceled less than 24 hours before the scheduled start time. An appointment is considered a "No-Show" if you miss the appointment entirely or fail to join the secure video session within the grace period.

• Late Cancellation Fee: full cost of the session.

• No-Show Fee: The full cost of the scheduled session.

Please Note: Late cancellation and no-show fees are out-of-pocket expenses. Insurance companies and HSA/FSA plans typically do not provide reimbursement for missed appointments.

3. The 10-Minute Virtual Grace Period

We understand that technical glitches, internet drops, or minor delays happen.

• Your provider will remain in the secure virtual waiting room for 10 minutes after your scheduled start time.

• If you log in within this 10-minute window, your session will proceed, but it will still end at its original scheduled time to remain respectful of the next patient's appointment.

• If you have not joined the video session after 10 minutes, the session will be closed, and it will be legally recorded as a No-Show.

4. Troubleshooting Technical Issues

If you are experiencing unexpected technical or internet difficulties that prevent you from logging into the secure video platform, you must call or email the clinic before or during the first 5 minutes of your scheduled time.

• If a video connection cannot be established due to platform failure, we will attempt to conduct the session via a secure audio-only telephone call (subject to state telehealth regulations) to avoid a no-show penalty.

• Failing to reach out during a technical issue will result in a standard No-Show fee.

5. Credit Card Authorization Requirement

To secure your appointment, all patients are required to keep a valid credit, debit, or HSA card on file in our secure, HIPAA-compliant patient portal. By scheduling an appointment, you authorize the practice to automatically charge your card on file for any accrued late cancellation or no-show fees in accordance with this policy.

6. Policy Exceptions

We recognize that emergencies, sudden severe illness, and unavoidable life events occur. Exceptions to this policy are made entirely at the discretion of the provider on a case-by-case basis. Please communicate with us as soon as an emergency arises so we can work with you.

7. Repeated Missed Appointments

Consistency is crucial for effective psychiatric treatment and medication safety. Repeatedly missing appointments can disrupt your continuity of care and delay necessary medication refills.

• Accruing two (2) or more no-shows or late cancellations within a 6-month period may result in a formal evaluation of our therapeutic relationship.

• The practice reserves the right to terminate the provider-patient relationship due to non-compliance with treatment schedules, at which point a 30-day emergency bridge of care and external referrals will be provided.