Office Policies

It is your responsibility as a patient to ensure that you are compliant with the following policies:

• Regularly attending appointments at the intervals determined by your provider.

• Keeping track of your medication refill status and knowing if you will run out prior to your next appointment.

All incoming patients require an Initial Psychiatric Evaluation appointment  regardless of the service they are ultimately seeking. These appointments take about 1 hour and 20 minutes so please plan accordingly. For patients with a complicated medical and or psychiatric history an additional appointment to collect background information may be necessary.

Please Note: Providers DO NOT guarantee that the current medication regime will be continued so if a patient is running out of medication it may be necessary for them to contact their current or previous providers for a refill. The completion of a Psychiatric Evaluation does not guarantee a medication refill.

Medication Management appointments are for established clients of Augustin Psychiatric Associates who have already completed an Initial Psychiatric Evaluation with one of our providers. These visits typically last approximately 20 to 40 minutes.

Please note that we require that clients requesting medication management services have an Initial Psychiatric Evaluation completed by providers at Augustin Psychiatric Associates prior to initiating medication management.

Please cancel any appointments that you cannot make with minimum 24-hour advance notice to avoid being counted as a "no-show" or incur the following fees:

• 24 hours before an intake appointment will incur a $100 fee

• 24 hours before a follow-up  appointment will incur a $50 fee

Repeated instances of no-shows which are not made in accordance with our company policies, you will be issued a written warning the 2nd time, then it will be considered just cause for termination and your chart will be closed with our practice.

We may prescribe controlled substances to clients at times. The following restrictions are mandated:

• Our prescribers do not prescribe benzodiazepines as first-line treatment for anxiety due to high potential for dependence.

• Our prescribers do not prescribe benzodiazepines to patients who are currently maintained on opioid medications or methadone nor will they continue this combination for new clients seeking to transfer their care from another prescriber due to high risk of overdose.

• Controlled substances will not be refilled earlier than the prescribed interval nor will we change the dose or frequency of a controlled medication so that you can obtain an early refill.

• Controlled substances will not be replaced if they are lost, damaged or stolen.

• Random drug screens and pill counts will be requested at our discretion.

• Pharmacy refill requests are not accepted for ANY medications patients are required to call the front desk to request a refill, at that time they will be added to the refill list.

At Augustin Psychiatric Associates, we are committed to providing you with the best possible care, however we are not a 24-hour facility. Timely request for medication refills is the patient’s responsibility. To ensure appropriate care and respect for both patients and providers, it is advisable to follow these guidelines:

• Please allow 7 business days for processing. It is your responsibility to notify our clinic at least 72 hours prior to running out of medicine.

• Medication refills will be made only at the time of an office visit or during regular office hours. If you do not have a future appointment scheduled when a refill request is made, then your request will not be processed until you have done so.

• Refills will not be given after office hours, during the weekends, and on holidays, so please schedule your appointments accordingly.

• Plan Ahead: Anticipate your prescription refill needs and make sure you have an adequate supply of medication to last through weekends and holidays. Take into account any upcoming vacations or holidays when healthcare providers may have limited availability.

Respect Emergency Procedures: If you have a genuine emergency or urgent medical need, follow the appropriate emergency procedures in your area. If you run out of medication at a time when our office is closed, please head to the nearest emergency room only if your health is a risk. Any messages left on our answering machine will not be checked until the next business day and cannot be used for rapid communication after business hours. However, patients should speak to a front end associate to get on the medication refill list to validate their request.