Informed Consent and No Surprises

Informed Consent and the No Surprises Act:

CommonSense and our providers pride ourselves in ensuring transparency with our clients. Please see our full informed consent here: CSWN informed consent

Moreover, we seek to ensure clients know, understand, and agree to their fee for services. Most clients at CommonSense utilize insurance with their provider, however provider ability to take insurance varies based on the provider, their credentials, and a number of other factors. As a result, some clients pay out of pocket for services, and most will pay on a sliding scale based on their income.

The No Surprises Act requires us to outline what a client may pay if they were to be charged the full fee at CommonSense WellnessNetwork for services, and what this cost could add up to in the most extreme case based on various factors.

Please note: clients paying out of pocket for services complete a financial agreement, and often this agreement is for much lower than the full fee would entail at CommonSense. The numbers below reflect the most extreme possibility of such an agreement:

Case scenario: working with a nurse practitioner

  1. intake fee (may be applied up to once a year): $300

  2. follow up fee: $200 (usually 15-30 minutes)

If a client were to work with a nurse practitioner at these rates, and meet with them a couple times a month for a year (note this is not standard frequency for psychiatric care in private practice, however this is probably the most frequent, and expensive, such care could become in extreme cases. Generally sessions are more frequent at first and then taper to a lesser frequency over time), the total for year would be $5,300.

Case scenario: working with a mental health counselor or social worker

  1. intake fee (may be applied up to once a year): $225

  2. follow up fee: $175 (usually 45-50 minutes)

If a client were to work with a therapist at these rates, and meet with them once a week (this frequency, as well as meeting every other week, are standard frequencies for psychotherapy. However, various factors may determine appropriate frequency and the most a therapist in private practice may see a client would be two to three times a week - and generally for a specific and limited period of time), the yearly cost for services would be $9,125 (weekly) and $4,575 (every other week).

PLEASE NOTE: frequency of sessions within a private practice setting, especially over the course of a year, can NEVER be guarenteed, as many factors may impact the frequency of services. Additionally, yearly cost projections are difficult to establish because services are generally charged for at the time of session (known as "fee-for-service"). Ultimately, you (the client) must agree to any change in service frequency prior to such change, and you would do so knowing the service fee per session. This allows you to establish your own informed cost projections, and those most accurate and consistent to your individual care.

When determining eligibility for sliding scale, clients are not required to provide documentation or proof of income. Additionally, CSWN may suggest applying the "1/1000" rule - where a client's (or family) gross yearly income is divided by 1/1000, and this equates to the sliding scale fee.

Example: client making 100k a year would pay $100 per session with a therapist.

Sliding scale for licensed therapists (mental health counselors and social workers) may go as low as $85 per session. For limited-permit and pre-licensed therapists, including interns, the sliding scale may go as low as $60 per session.

Sliding scale for nurse practitioners is generally full fee only (if insurance cannot be utilized).