General Questions
WHY SEE A PSYCHIATRIC MENTAL HEALTH NURSE PRACTITIONER?
A psychiatric nurse practitioner specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric symptoms, disorders and psychological problems.
As a nurse practitioner, I am uniquely positioned to use a wholistic approach to treatment in order to diagnose and manage all aspects of psychiatric disorders using medications and psychotherapy. I am a Psycho-pharmacologist, an expert among psychiatric nurse practitioners in the diagnosis and medical treatment of disorders involving thoughts, mood, behaviors, and sleep. Educating patients on the biological underpinnings that link the mind and body is a critical part of my responsibility. The goal of treatment is restoring you to your best self.
WHAT SHOULD I SEND IN BEFORE MY FIRST APPOINTMENT?
Once we schedule an appointment, we’ll send you an email so that you can provide us with information about your symptoms, previous treatment, medical problems, and family psychiatric history. The more information that you can provide for me to review before and during your first appointment, the more quickly we can formulate a plan for your treatment.
Our office email is info@michellevanduinenaprn.com
WHAT WILL HAPPEN DURING MY FIRST VISIT?
I will meet with you for an extensive interview and we will determine the best plan of action to move forward.
That plan may include comprehensive genetic testing. We may order lab work, tox screens, and neuroimaging, and make recommendations for lifestyle changes, therapy and/or medication.
If you are a new patient for Suboxone, and it is an appropriate treatment for you, you will be able to begin Suboxone immediately.
HOW LONG WILL I NEED TREATMENT?
There are no precise determinations that I can make regarding the length of your treatment. Generally speaking, the longer your symptoms have persisted, the longer the treatment will take. Certain conditions do not require a lot of time to treat, while others require considerably more. Certain symptoms and disorders require just a couple of visits, while others require life-long maintenance. I believe that you should seek treatment as soon as possible for the best outcome.
WHAT DETERMINES IF MY SYMPTOMS WILL COME BACK?
There are a few components that play a part in the recurrence of psychiatric symptoms and psychiatric disorders:
Coexisting stresses in life: Your symptoms can recur if you experience additional life stressors (e.g., family or marital problems, starting a new job, or losing someone close to you).
Age: If you are diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder early in life, there is a higher likelihood of symptoms recurring later.
Diagnosis: Some psychiatric disorders have symptoms which recur more often than others. These include depressive episodes, hypomanic and manic episodes, panic attacks, social anxiety, obsessions and compulsions, PTSD symptoms, binge eating, purging, restrictive eating, and alcohol and drug use.
HOW CAN I PREVENT THAT FROM HAPPENING?
Your treatment is a collaborative effort. I will give you guidance and recommendations to adhere to between visits, but they will only be effective if you follow the treatment regimen and plan of action that we agree upon. Make sure that you take your medications as prescribed, keep your follow-up office visits, attend psychotherapy sessions with your therapist if that is part of your treatment plan, and keep your life as balanced as you can. It is very important to eat well, exercise regularly, avoid stressful situations as best as you can, let your loved ones help you whenever possible, and seek help if you feel like your symptoms are coming back.
WHAT IF I HAVE AN EMERGENCY OR AN URGENT SITUATION?
Your treatment is a collaborative effort. I will give you guidance and recommendations to adhere to between visits, but they will only be effective if you follow the treatment regimen and plan of action that we agree upon. Make sure that you take your medications as prescribed, keep your follow-up office visits, attend psychotherapy sessions with your therapist if that is part of your treatment plan, and keep your life as balanced as you can. It is very important to eat well, exercise regularly, avoid stressful situations as best as you can, let your loved ones help you whenever possible, and seek help if you feel like your symptoms are coming back.
Privacy
WILL MY TREATMENT BE CONFIDENTIAL?
Every aspect of my practice is designed to maximize your privacy. Your treatment is confidential and will not be discussed with anyone without your written permission. We adhere to and go beyond standard HIPAA protections for privacy. Please see our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices in our office. I will not reveal any information regarding your care and treatment unless you have signed a HIPAA Authorization to Disclose Protected Health Information for me to share information.
ARE THERE EXCEPTIONS TO CONFIDENTIALITY?
The only exception to confidentiality is in extreme cases where a patient may pose an imminent risk of harm to him/herself or others or where I am bound by law as a designated reporter to report child abuse, elder abuse or imminent risk of harm to another person.
WHAT IF MY FAMILY WANTS TO GET INVOLVED?
You may always bring in a family member during your appointments. Let us know if you want to do this during a medication management visit so that we can schedule your appointment as a double visit if you will need extra time.
Your family members can always leave messages for me, or send me information by email or fax about you, how you’re doing, what’s happened recently, or about family history. They may want me to listen directly to their concerns. I’ll always inform you about any communication that I receive. However, I cannot discuss your diagnosis or any aspect of your treatment directly with your family or friends without your signed HIPAA authorization.
DO YOU HAVE A PATIENT BILL OF RIGHTS OR RELEASE OF INFORMATION FORM?
You can find links to this information here:
Financial
WHAT ARE YOUR FEES?
This practice accepts insurance and private payments. We require insurance co payment at the time of your visit by check or credit/debit card.Private pay patient payment is due at the time of your visit. Fees range from $75 to $300.
DO YOU ACCEPT INSURANCE?
Yes, we accept the following insurances:
- Medicare
- Medicaid
- Tri Care
- Commercial insurances
WHAT IS THE CANCELLATION POLICY?
We offer flexible, extended office hours so that we can offer you appointments that work with your schedule, and we appreciate your call if you have to cancel or reschedule.
However, in order to provide excellent service and remain available to all of our patients, we will charge your full visit fee for any missed appointment not canceled by the previous day. Your missed appointment fee must be paid before your next scheduled appointment. If you have missed an appointment, you will not be given another or have your medications refilled until you have paid your missed appointment fee.
Refills
HOW DO I REQUEST A REFILL?
We make every effort to accommodate your schedule and if you are prescribed medication, to ensure that you have enough to last until your next appointment. If you need a refill, please ask your pharmacy to send us a request.
Certain psychiatric medications cannot be refilled without an office appointment.
If you request a refill before your next scheduled appointment but need to be seen first, I will notify your pharmacy or contact you to come in for an office visit before your refill request will be approved. We’ll make every effort to see you–we don’t want you to run out! In certain cases, I may authorize the pharmacy to dispense a few days’ worth of medication until we can schedule you to be seen.
WHAT IF I AM OUT OF MEDICATION AND NEED A REFILL?
Please call the office directly so that we can verify your last appointment when you were due to return, and your medication dose and directions.
Given the complexities of life, psychiatric symptoms themselves, and the medications we use, it is critically important that we follow you closely and that you keep your follow-up appointments within the appointed time frames. I take great pride in providing superb care, and I look forward to your collaboration.
Follow Up Care
HOW OFTEN DO I NEED TO BE SEEN FOR MEDICATION VISITS?
Follow-up appointments are scheduled in 30-minute blocks at regular intervals. If you need a longer appointment to discuss the results of genetic testing, to bring in a family member, or because of stressors or symptoms, just let us know and we’ll schedule a double appointment for you.
The better you feel, the less often you need to be seen. It’s wonderful when you get to the point that you feel so well that we can stretch out your appointments for every 3 months.
But life happens. And if you ever need to come in for an appointment because of a change in your thoughts, mood, behaviors, sleep, a stressor, a loss, or a new issue in your life, just call. I’m happy to schedule an appointment for you when you need one. That’s why I’m here.
HOW OFTEN DO I NEED TO BE SEEN FOR SUBOXONE?
After you begin Suboxone, I will follow you closely and see you again within just a few days for a second visit, pending your response, then at monthly intervals and we’ll discuss additional supports and treatment that will help you truly break free from opiates.