Policies

If you have a psychiatric emergency or medical emergency, please call 911 or 988 or go to your nearest emergency room.

An additional resource for psychiatric emergencies is the BEST team:

1-800-981-HELP

Communication

For non-urgent matters, such as medication refills or scheduling, please send Dr. Alpert a message via SimplePractice. For urgent matters, please leave a voicemail on Dr. Alpert's office number. Dr. Alpert will typically respond in one business day

Refill Requests

Dr. Alpert will provide you with enough medications and refills to last until your next scheduled appointment. In the event that a refill is needed, all attempts will be made to send in refills on the day they are requested. However, please allow up to 2 business days from the time of the request. Please submit all refill requests at least one week prior to running out of your medication. You are responsible for keeping track of your remaining quantity of medication and for notifying Dr. Alpert when you are due for a refill.

Telemedicine/Telepsychiatry

Dr. Alpert offers both virtual telepsychiatry and in-person services. Dr. Alpert uses a HIPAA-compliant telemedicine platform (Doximity) for virtual visits. It is important for virtual visits that you are in a safe, quiet, and confidential space without distractions. You will receive a text message with a link to the videoconference within a few minutes of the start of your appointment. Please note that Dr. Alpert is only able to see you for a virtual visit if you reside in Massachusetts. If you are a Massachusetts resident traveling for a brief, defined period of time, Dr. Alpert is able to continue seeing you while you are out of state.

Controlled Substances

Per state and federal guidelines, you will need to meet with Dr. Alpert in-person before receiving a prescription for controlled substances, and you will need to meet with him in-person at regular intervals to receive additional prescriptions for these substances. Additionally, you will need to sign and adhere to the terms of Dr. Alpert's Controlled Substance Agreement (available on Dr. Alpert's patient portal).

Right to Good-Faith Estimate

You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your health care will cost. Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who are “self-pay” (don’t have healthcare insurance or who choose not to use their healthcare insurance for these services) an estimate of their bill for health care items and services before those items or services are provided.

You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of your care from Dr. Alpert when scheduling an appointment or upon request. The Good Faith Estimate includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment, and other fees.

If you schedule an appointment at least 3 business days in advance, Dr. Alpert will provide you with a Good Faith Estimate in writing within 1 business day after scheduling. If you schedule an appointment at least 10 business days in advance, Dr. Alpert will provide you with a Good Faith Estimate in writing within 3 business days after scheduling. You can also ask us for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an appointment, which we will provide to you within 3 business days of your request.

If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than our Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill.

For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers, email FederalPPDRQuestions@cms.hhs.gov, or call 1-800-985-3059.

Late Cancellations and No-Shows

Since the scheduling of an appointment involves the reservation of time set aside especially for you, a minimum of 48 hours notice or 2 business days (whichever is longer) is required for rescheduling or canceling an appointment. The no-show fee is due at the time of the missed session. Multiple no-shows or late cancellations may result in discharge from Dr. Alpert's practice.

IN-NETWORK SERVICES: If an appointment is cancelled with less than 48-hours' or 2 business days' notice, you will be charged $200. Please note that your insurance will not cover the cancellation fee.

OUT-OF-NETWORK/CASH-BASED SERVICES: If an appointment is cancelled with less than 48-hours' or 2 business days' notice, 50% of the full fee will be charged. If an appointment is cancelled with less than 24-hours’ or 1 business day's notice, the full fee will be charged. Please note that your insurance will not cover the cancellation fee.

Dr. Alpert reserves the right to waive the cancellation fee due to unforeseen or unavoidable circumstances.