Privacy and Value

When you receive services managed and reimbursed by your insurance carrier, you agree to share with the insurance company some very private and confidential pieces of information about you - date of birth, social security number, and mental health diagnoses (to name a few).  Most of these companies also require providers to submit claims electronically (online).  To best safeguard your personally identifiable and confidential information, we encourage you to consider a self-pay option.

If using a commercial insurance plan, you will likely be obligated to pay a copay and/or coinsurance, and then will also have to pay down your annual deductible.  It may be worth considering paying for counseling yourself - allowing you to cut out the middle-man and enhance the security of your protected health information.

Also, please understand that professional mental health and substance abuse counseling are not commodities - that is, every counselor is not created equal.  Looking for a counselor who charges less per session may save you money, but there's no guarantee that the quality of care will be the same.  We are confident that the professional behavioral health services  rendered at ESCC, LLC are of the highest quality and that you will be satisfied with your experience.

Fees and Insurance

Your choice to engage in psychotherapy should be a deeply personal one and so consider all your options regarding payment.  By using the typical high-deductible insurance plan, you will likely have to pay out of pocket for several sessions before your insurance carrier begins to share the financial cost.  Consider a self-pay option in lieu of using insurance plans - in this way, you enhance your confidentiality and privacy while likely having little or no impact on your out-of-pocket expense.

That said, ESCC, LLC is credentialed with Presbyterian Health Plans (commercial/employer plans and New Mexico Centennial Care Medicaid). NOTE: ESCC, LLC will no longer be in-network for any other insurance plans as of November 1, 2020. Please confirm your eligibility and benefits before your first appointment.
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Our standard self-pay fees are as follows (full 60-minute hours): Individual session $170, Couples/Marriage session $175, Clinical and Diagnostic Assessment $325 (with report), Group psychotherapy session (90 minutes) $50, attorney contacts/depositions/court testimony $350 per hour (including documentation and travel time).

Other services may be available and associated fees will be agreed upon prior to rendering of those services. ESCC, LLC accepts the following forms of payment: cash, personal checks, credit and debit cards (Master Card, Visa, American Express, and Discover).  Those using credit/debit cards may be charged a 3% surcharge to cover bank fees.  Bartering is not currently permitted under ethics rules in New Mexico.

Clients are required to provide notice of at least 24 hours should they need to cancel or reschedule a planned session by giving telephonic notice unless an emergency arises; clients who do not provide this notice may be charged a cancellation fee of at least $50 and up to the full fee for the session. Failure to plan for transportation or childcare does not constitute an emergency; generally speaking, we consider accidents, injuries, seriously inclement weather, and other health emergencies to be situations serious occurrences.  We honor clients’ time as a valuable commodity, and ask that clients return the favor.

Out-of-Network Claims
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Note that ESCC, LLC will not file out of network claims with your commercial insurance carrier. We will, however, provide a 'superbill' which is the paperwork necessary in many cases you may submit to your carrier for whatever reimbursement or credit to deductible you may be entitled to under your benefit plan.

Privacy and Confidentiality

Your privacy and confidentiality are a priority.  You will find a wealth of very specific information in our Notice of Privacy Practices in the Forms section of this website. 

The unfortunate reality is that information about you and your healthcare is not, and cannot be, absolutely secure when stored or transmitted in electronic form.  Therefore, we go to lengths to use electronic means of storage and communication as little as possible.  ESCC, LLC records are maintained in hard-copy (paper) format, and those that are electronic are stored on devices which are double locked in our offices. 

 We file paper claims whenever possible, but many insurance carriers require use of electronic claims clearing houses which may expose your information to breach. You should also know that we are required by law to maintain client records for at least five (5) years, and in some cases much longer. 

Finally, you must understand that you may encounter other people and clients in the waiting room, around the office building, or in group treatment.  Our expectation is that you respect other clients’ privacy and confidentiality as you would have them respect yours. 

If you have concerns about the security of your health information, ask your counselor any and all clarifying questions, at any time.

PROFESSIONAL DISCLOSURE AND DISCLAIMER STATEMENT

Please review our Professional Disclosure and Informed Consent document, including important policies, please click here.

Disclaimer: The person contemplating engagement in mental health counseling must understand that people have vastly different experiences in counseling.  For many people, counseling can be an effective way to tackle difficult issues and move forward with their lives.  For some people, the counseling process is less effective.  Everyone who chooses to come to counseling should expect that the process we offer will be challenging and at times even emotionally painful.  In our experience, you will get out of the process what you put into it – like so many things in life. 

About Medications: We understand that the dominant treatment paradigm endorses the use of psychotropic medications to manage mental health symptoms and disorders.  In our opinion, there exists significant evidence to suggest that the efficacy of psychotropic medications is overstated and the potentially deleterious side effects are vastly minimized.  We will work with you and your prescriber (at your request, and upon your authorization) to conscientiously coordinate your care nonetheless.

 A Note on Physical Activity:  While much of our work with clients occurs in an office setting, some does not. Abundant current research has shown that physical exercise has significant positive impacts on emotional wellbeing – as good as or better than effects induced by use of psychotropic medications.  Accordingly, some sessions will likely involve time spent out of doors, walking, hiking, or engaging in other light physical activity intended to stimulate holistic healing.  We assume that clients are in good enough health to participate in these kinds of activities unless clients inform us of physical and/or constitutional limitations. Tell your counselor immediately if you are under the care of a physician for a serious medical health condition.