Polices And Procedures

Everyone's Time is Equally Valuable.

We ask that you arrive 5 minutes before your scheduled appointment time. We understand sometimes things happen beyond your control that may cause you to be late. However, we reserve the right to ask you to reschedule if you arrive 10 minutes late for your appointment.

Our practice makes every effort to run on time with appointments, as we believe everyone’s time is equally valuable. 

Upcoming Appointments   reminders can be sent Via Phone/Text Message/Email. Please select your preference for appointment reminders in the client portal.

Missed Appointments/late cancellations: Missed  appointments/late cancellations  represent a cost to us, to you, and to other clients who could have been seen in the time set aside for you. We reserve the right to charge a fee for canceled or missed appointments. We request 24 hours notice for cancellation of appointments.

A fee may be charged for a second missed appointment. The third consecutive missed appointment will result in immediate discharge from the practice.

For new patients, the FIRST appointment  missed may be waived. 

All clients have the right to be treated without discrimination based on race, color, national origin, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, physical or mental disability, language or ability to pay. Refuse treatment,  and discontinue treatment. Clients have the right to know their diagnosis and treatment options. Clients have the right to be treated

with respect and dignity at all times.

All Clients have the responsibility to: Attend scheduled appointments and be compliant with treatment. Actively engage in treatment with providers, pay all fees at the time of service, and notify Brighter Day Psychiatry (BPD) of any changes to insurance , credit card , contact information. act respectfully and in a non-threatening and non-violent manner while engaging with Brighter day psychiatry staff.

Efficiency through the use of technology

You will be encouraged to consult our website, register for and use our client portal, and effectively use automated reminders for appointments and documents needed for completion. 

For any questions or concerns that require more than a simple yes or no, please schedule a medication management appointment. Emails, portal messages, and phone calls will be responded to at our earliest conveince, we strive to respond within 72 business hours. 

Please use the client portal via simple practice to contact me with any questions or concerns. I cannot ensure the confidentiality
of any other form of communication through electronic media, including text messages.

• National suicide hotline: 988 

• Anne Arundel County Crisis Response: 410-768-5522

• Baltimore County Crisis Response: 410-931-2214 

• Baltimore City Crisis Response: 410-433-5175 

• Carroll County Crisis Response: 800-422-0009 

• Eastern Shore Mobile Crisis: 888-407-8018 

• Harford County Crisis Response: 410-638-5248 

• Howard County Crisis Response: 410-531-6677 

• National Suicide Hotline: 988 or Text 838255 

• Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 for 24/7 Crisis Counseling 

• Life Crisis Center (Wicomico, Worchester, Somerset): 410-749- 4357/4363

• Sheppard Pratt Crisis Walk-In Clinic: 410-938-5302; 6501 N, Charles St, Towson, M-F 8:15-4:30

• Crisis number for : Delaware : (302) 577-2484

• Psychiatric Evaluation: $250.00 ( 60 minutes)

• Medication Management Session ( 15-20 min): $200.00

• No Show Fee/Late Cancellation: $75.00

• Forms: $25 or more, depending on the type of form

Please be sure to have an active credit card on file at all time. If you utlize state insurance such as MEdicaid , then you are not required to have a credit card on file. All co-pay/co-insurance will be collected prior to the start of your appointment. 

It is your responsibility to notify the office immediately when there is a change in your insurance. We do not allow clients to carry a balance, all fees must be paid prior to the next appointment.

 Refusal to pay fees could lead to appointment cancellation and no medication refills.

If you are a minor, your parent may be legally entitled to some information about your treatment. I will discuss with you and your parents what information is appropriate for them to receive and which issues are more appropriately kept confidential.

This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed. It also describes how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.

In order to provide you care, Erika Stewart (your “Provider”) must collect, create and maintain health information about you, which includes any individually identifiable information that we obtain from you or others that relates to your past, present or future physical or mental health, the health care you have received, or payment for your health care. Your Provider is required by law to maintain the privacy of this information. This Notice of Privacy Practices (this “Notice”) describes how your health information may be used and disclosed, and explains certain rights you have regarding this information. Your Provider is required by law to provide you with this Notice, and will comply with the terms as stated.

How Provider Uses and Discloses Your Health Information

Your Provider protects your health information from inappropriate use and disclosure, and will use and disclose your health information for only the purposes listed below:

Uses and Disclosures for Treatment, Payment and Health Care Operations. Your Provider may use and disclose your protected health information in order to provide your care or treatment, obtain payment for services provided to you and in order to conduct our health care operations as detailed below.

Treatment and Care Management. We may use and disclose health information about you to facilitate treatment, and coordinate and manage your care with other health care providers.

Payment. We may use and disclose health information about you for our own payment purposes and to assist in the payment activities of other health care providers. Our payment activities include, without limitation, determining your eligibility for benefits and obtaining payment from insurers that may be responsible for providing coverage to you, including Federal and State entities.

Health Care Operations. We may use and disclose health information about you to support health care functions related to treatment and payment, which include, without limitation, care management, quality improvement activities, evaluating our own performance and resolving any complaints or grievances you may have. We may also use and disclose your health information to assist other health care providers in performing health care operations.

Uses and Disclosures Without Your Consent or Authorization. We may use and disclose your health information without your specific written authorization for the following purposes:

As required by law. We may use and disclose your health information as required by state, federal and local law.

Public health activities. We may disclose your health information to public authorities or other agencies and organizations conducting public health activities, such as preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability, reporting births, deaths, child abuse or neglect, domestic violence, potential problems with products regulated by the Food and Drug Administration or communicable diseases.

Victims of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. We may disclose your health information to an appropriate government agency if we believe you are a victim of abuse, neglect, domestic violence and you agree to the disclosure or the disclosure is required or permitted by law. We will let you know if we disclose your health information for this purpose unless we believe that advising you or your caregiver would place you or another person at risk of serious harm.

Health oversight activities. We may disclose your health information to federal or state health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law such as audits, investigations, inspections and licensing surveys.

Judicial and administrative proceedings. We may disclose your health information in the course of any judicial or administrative proceeding in response to an appropriate order of a court or administrative body.

Law enforcement purposes. We may disclose your health information to a law enforcement agency to respond to a court order, warrant, summons or similar process, to help identify or locate a suspect or missing person, to provide information about a victim of a crime, a death that may be the result of criminal activity, or criminal conduct on our premises, or, in emergency situations, to report a crime, the location of the crime or the victims, or the identity, location or description of the person who committed the crime.

Deceased individuals. We may disclose your health information to a coroner, medical examiner or a funeral director as necessary and as authorized by law.

Organ or tissue donations. We may disclose your health information to organ procurement organizations and similar entities.

For research. We may use or disclose your health information for research purposes. We will use or disclose your health information for research purposes only with the approval of our Institutional Review Board, which must follow a special approval process. When required, we will obtain a written authorization from you prior to using your health information for research.

Health or safety. We may use or disclose your health information to prevent or lessen a threat to the health or safety of you or the general public. We may also disclose your health information to public or private disaster relief organizations such as the Red Cross or other organizations participating in bio-terrorism countermeasures.

Specialized government functions. We may use or disclose your health information to provide assistance for certain types of government activities. If you are a member of the armed forces of the United States or a foreign country, we may disclose your health information to appropriate military authority as is deemed necessary. We may also disclose your health information to federal officials for lawful intelligence or national security activities.

Workers’ compensation. We may use or disclose your health information as permitted by the laws governing the workers’ compensation program or similar programs that provide benefits for work-related injuries or illnesses.

Individuals involved in your care. We may disclose your health information to a family member, other relative or close personal friend assisting you in receiving health care services. If you are available, we will give you an opportunity to object to these disclosures, and we will not make these disclosures if you object. If you are not available, we will determine whether a disclosure to your family or friends is in your best interest, taking into account the circumstances and based upon our professional judgment.

Appointments, Information and Services. We may contact you to provide appointment reminders or information about treatment alternatives or other health-related services that may be of interest to you.

Incidental Uses and Disclosures. Incidental uses and disclosures of your health information sometimes occur and are not considered to be a violation of your rights. Incidental uses and disclosures are by-products of otherwise permitted uses or disclosures which are limited in nature and cannot be reasonably prevented.

Special Treatment of Certain Records. HIV related information, genetic information, alcohol and/or substance abuse records, mental health records related to services provided by a New York Article 31 mental health clinic and other specially protected health information may enjoy certain special confidentiality protections (that are more restrictive than those outlined above) under applicable state and federal law. Any disclosures of these types of records will be subject to these special protections.

Obtaining Your Authorization for Other Uses and Disclosures. Certain uses and disclosures of your health information will be made only with your written authorization, including uses and/or disclosures: (a) of psychotherapy notes (where appropriate); (b) for marketing purposes; and (c) that constitute a sale of health information under the Privacy Rule. Your Provider will not use or disclose your health information for any purpose not specified in this Notice unless we obtain your express written authorization or the authorization of your legally appointed representative. If you give us your authorization, you may revoke it at any time, in which case we will no longer use or disclose your health information for the purpose you authorized, except to the extent we have relied on your authorization to provide your care.

Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information

You have the following rights regarding your health information:

Right to Inspect or Get a Copy of Your Medical Record. You have the right to inspect or request a copy of health information about you that we maintain. Your request should describe the information you want to review and the format in which you wish to review it. We may refuse to allow you to inspect or obtain copies of this information in certain limited cases. We may charge you a fee of up to $.75 per page for copies or the rate established by the Department of Health. We may also deny a request for access to health information under certain circumstances if there is a potential for harm to yourself or others. If we deny a request for access for this purpose, you have the right to have our denial reviewed in accordance with the requirements of applicable law.

Right to Request Changes to Your Medical Record. You have the right to request changes to any health information we maintain about you if you state a reason why this information is incorrect or incomplete. Your Provider might not agree to make the changes you request. If we do not agree with the requested changes we will notify you in writing and inform you how to have your objection included in our records.

Right to an Accounting of Disclosures. You have the right to receive a list of all disclosures we have made of your health information. The list will not include disclosures made for certain purposes including, without limitation, disclosures for treatment, payment or health care operations or disclosures you authorized in writing. Your request should specify the time period covered by your request, which cannot exceed six years. The first time you request a list of disclosures in any 12-month period, it will be provided at no cost. If you request additional lists within the 12-month period, we may charge you a nominal fee.

Right to Request Restrictions. You have the right to request restrictions on the ways which we use and disclose your health information for treatment, payment and health care operations, or disclose this information to disaster relief organizations or individuals who are involved in your care. We are required to comply with your request if it relates to a disclosure to your health plan regarding health care items or services for which you have paid the bill in full, though in other instances, we may not agree to the restrictions you request.

Right to Request Confidential Communications. You have the right to ask us to send health information to you in a different way or at a different location. Your request for an alternate form of communication should also specify where and/or how we should contact you.

Right to Receive Notification of Breach. You have the right to receive a notification, in the event that there is a breach of your unsecured health information, which requires notification under the Privacy Rule.

Right to Paper Copy of Notice. You have the right to receive a paper copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices at any time.

To make a request as described in any of the above, please contact your Provider.

Right to File Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated you may file a complaint with your Provider or with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. You will not be penalized or retaliated against by your Provider for filing a complaint.

Changes to this Notice

Your Provider may change the terms of this Notice of Privacy Practices at any time. If the terms of the Notice are changed, the new terms will apply to all of your health information, whether created or received by your Provider before or after the date on which the Notice is changed. Any updates to the Notice will be provided to you.

BY SIGNING THIS POLICY I AM AGREEING THAT I HAVE READ, UNDERSTOOD AND AGREE TO THE ITEMS CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT.

Copayments: Copays will be collected/charged either the night prior to your appointment. Failure to pay your copay may result in the cancellation of your appointment, which can potentially delay refills.

Outstanding Balances: Any outstanding balances must be settled before your next appointment. Not addressing outstanding balances can also prevent you from obtaining prescriptions for your medications. Collecting copays, co-insurance fees, deductibles and settling balances promptly helps us comply with legal requirements and maintain the financial health of our practice. This, in turn, allows us to focus on delivering the best care possible.

Please check with your insurance carrier regarding the terms of your coverage and whether or not there are any out of pocket fees such as: co-pays, co-insurance and deductibles. It is your responsibility to check with your insurance company regarding coverage, not Brighter Day Psychiatry. Please remember that payment of your insurance claims are never certain until the payment is actually received by us!  The client or parent/guardian of the client is responsible for the balance if the insurance carrier denies the claim and/or for any portion of the client’s yearly insurance deductible.

You understand that if you request that Brighter Day Psychiatry submit claims to your insurance company on your behalf, you hereby authorize payment of all medical insurance benefits which are payable to you under the terms of your insurance policy to be paid directly to Brighter Day Psychiatry for services rendered. You certify that the information you have reported regarding your insurance is correct. If the information is found to be incorrect, you understand you will be responsible for providing correct

information or will be responsible for the charges. You authorize the release of any information, including medical information, needed for processing your insurance claims.

All co-pay/co-insurance/deductible fees will be collected prior to the start of your appointment. It is your responsibility to notify the office immediately when there is a change in your insurance. We do not allow clients to carry a balance, all fees must be paid prior to the next appointment. Refusal to pay fees could lead to appointment cancellation and no medication refills.

In Maryland, we are currently in network with Cigna, Aetna, Care first (BCBS) John Hopkins EHP, Medicare and Medicaid.

In Delaware, we are in network with Medicaid, Cigna, United Health Care and AETNA.

In Washington DC, we are in network with Cigna, United Health Care and Aetna.

We use ALMA to bill for AETNA, CIGNA, and OPTUM. If you have the aforementioned insurance plans, then expect to receive a link from ALMA to request your insurance and credit card information.

No Show and Late Cancellation Fees: You will be charged 75 dollars if you do not show up for your scheduled appointment or cancel your appointment 24 hours in advance. If you do not show for your appointment within 7 minutes of it starting, then it will be considered a no show. If you no show a total two consecutive times in a row or 3 times in a calendar year, then you will be discharged from Brighter Day Psychiatry.

Lateness: If you are late for a session, you may lose some of that session time. Remember I will not wait longer than 7 minutes for you to show.

Hours of Operation: I am solo practitioner, so if I do not answer your call please allow 48-72 hours for a response. The best and easiest way to contact me is via the client portal. I will answer all calls and emails on business days, Mon-Friday from 9am-5pm.

Brighter Day psychiatry offers  psychiatric evaluations and medication management. My primary role is psychiatric medication management , I do not provide traditional psychotherapy therapy. However, I do offer 16 minutes of more of supportive psychotherapy during each visit, if time allows.

Forms : I do not complete Family and Medical Leave Act and Short Term Disability forms for new clients. You must have been a client for at least three months, and have been seen within 30 days of your request.

There is no guarantee that I will complete forms, form completion will be dependent on current symptoms and prognosis. You must also be in therapy and compliant with treatment recommendations. All forms will

be completed during your appointment. Please allow up to 7 business' days for forms to be completed. ***I do not complete forms for emotional support animals or disability animals.***

Due to limitations with telepsychiatry we do not offer mental health services to those who have psychosis (auditory and visual hallucinations) or individuals who are actively using illicit drugs, excessive alcohol , or marijuana ( with or without a marijuana card). I do not treat those with neurodevelopmental disorders or traumatic brain injuries.

Physical Exam and Labs Requirement: It is important for me to rule out any underlying medical conditions prior to starting psychiatric medication. Untreated medical conditions can affect your mental health. Also, psychotropic medications can affect your physical health. Therefore, you must have had a routine physical exam with baseline labs within the last year. Some medications will require ongoing lab monitoring.

Ending relationships can be difficult. Therefore, it is important to have a termination process in order to achieve some closure. Termination of services may occur after appropriate discussion with you. Reasons that termination can occur: non-compliant with treatment recommendations, owe a balance, you require a higher level of care, two consecutive no shows, or three no shows in a year.  You have the right to terminate services with Brighter Day Psychiatry at anytime. 

PLEASE NOTE:  Withdrawal from services here at Brighter Day Psychiatry without the recommendation from the provider can cause a relapse in symptoms.

If you are inactive for medication management for 90 days you may be discharged from services, and your portal access will be deactivated. If you return to Brighter Day Psychiatry after being discharged you will have to sign new consents and have a new intake appointment. 

If services is terminated for any reason or you request another provider, we will provide you with a list of qualified providers to treat you. You may also choose someone on your own or from another referral source.

Collaborative Care: We believe in a collaborative approach to treatment. Your input is valuable, and we encourage you to actively participate in your care plan.

Medication Management: If medication is part of your treatment, we will closely monitor you progress and make adjustments as needed. Please inform us of any side effects or concerns immediately.

Communication: We will communicate with you via the client portal. It this is not the right method for you, then please advise us of your communication preferences.