Practice Policies

Emergency Contact:

If you need emergency attention, for your safety please do not delay while waiting for a return call from Dr. Ward. In the case of emergency, defined as suicidal or homicidal intent, physical aggression and/or adverse medication reaction, please do not hesitate to utilize 911, the National Suicide Hotline (800) 273-8255, 988 Lifeline (https://988lifeline.org), or your local emergency room. You may also call me at (415)498-0481 and leave a number for me to call you back, but please don't hesitate to utilize any of the above listed emergency resources while you wait for my call back. During business hours (e.g. weekdays from 9 am - 5 pm), I may be in session with another patient or otherwise occupied and not able to call you back immediately. During non business hours (e.g. evenings after 5 pm and weekends or holidays), I also may not be able to call you back immediately. Otherwise, I will do my best to return your call within one business day. Please see the section below regarding fees that may apply in the event of requested telephone communication with Dr. Ward.

Insurance benefits and Patient Responsibility for Fees:

Dr. Ward is not currently accepting insurance, but can provide a Super Bill for those patients who have insurance plans that cover out-of-network benefits. Your insurance company will then provide you with financial reimbursement for Dr. Ward's services. The amount of reimbursement you will receive depends on your particular health plan. It will be your financial responsibility to cover the cost of my services, even if you had understood from your insurance company that the charges would be covered by them.

Important Note: Please contact your insurance company prior to your first appointment to verify benefits.

Sessions/Fees:

The appointment for an initial intake evaluation will be approximately 60 minutes in length and is required to initiate care. During the first and/or second session, Dr. Ward will provide feedback, including diagnostic impressions and recommendations for ongoing treatment. If the decision is made to continue treatment with Dr. Ward, follow up appointments for therapy and/or medication management will be 45-50 minutes in length, and medication management appointments alone will be 25-30 minutes in length. Services include: Dr. Ward's review of any prior or current records, communication with other treating physicians and therapists, as well as the writing of prescriptions, reports, letters and forms. Telephone fees are discussed below. Payment is due at the time of service: cash, check, credit cards, Zelle are all acceptable forms of payment.

Additional Services:

Additional services that require longer than 15 minutes (e.g. phone calls, administrative forms, letters) will be based on Dr. Ward's hourly rate.

Unpaid Bills:

Accounts not paid according to the terms and conditions described are both a business and treatment concern. If your account is overdue, I will discuss this with you openly and attempt to arrive at a mutually agreeable plan to bring your account current. Dr. Ward reserves the right to terminate care with any patient until fees have been paid. Seriously delinquent accounts may be referred for collection. If this occurs, Dr. Ward will refer you to another resource for treatment and your treatment with Dr. Ward will terminate as soon as clinically possible.

Late Cancellations and Missed Appointments:

If you will be unable to keep an appointment you have scheduled, you must provide 48 hour notice. Failure to do so will result in a full session fee. Please note that health insurance plans do not pay for missed appointments and these charges will be your responsibility.