Privacy Policy

Policy and Disclaimers

Broadway Psychiatry LLC does not discriminate on the basis of religion, race, gender, marital status, age, sexual orientation, national origin, previous incarceration, or disability or public assistance status.

Every client:

• Shall be informed prior to or at the time of the intake appointment of the services available at Broadway Psychiatry, LLC and of any payments that will be required if not covered by the client’s health insurance.
• Can expect complete and current information concerning his or her diagnosis and individual treatment plan in terms he or she can understand.
• Can expect courteous and respectful treatment.
• Has the right to be informed of, and to refuse to participate in, any experimental research.
• Has the right to choose freely among available mental health professionals and practitioners in the community and to change providers after services have begun within any contractual limits of the client’s health insurance policy.
• May assert the client rights without retaliation.

In addition to the rights listed above, clients utilizing services offered by practitioners licensed by the State of Texas have the right to:

(a) expect that a practitioner has met the minimal qualifications of training and has the experience required by state law

(b) examine public records which contain the credentials of the practitioner

(c) obtain a copy of the rules of conduct.

Velile Nkolomi, PMHNP-BC is at this time the sole practitioner at Broadway Psychiatry. She is a Board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner licensed to practice in the state of Texas. New Mexico licensure is pending. She has a collaborative practice agreement with E. Griffin, MD, and may consult with her about your care.

Health Insurance Procedure

Broadway Psychiatry is in-network with most insurance companies. If we are in-network with your insurance company, as a courtesy to you, we will work directly with them in an effort to collect the reimbursement allowed by your benefits. It is important that you understand your benefit coverage. For benefit coverage questions, please call the customer/member service phone number on the back of your insurance card. Although we can assist you, ultimately it is your responsibility, prior to your first appointment, to verify your plan’s limitations, deductibles and exclusions and to obtain updates as required. We will make all attempts to verify your insurance benefit coverage and obtain any necessary authorizations for you. Verification of benefit coverage is not a guarantee of claim payment. All benefits are subject to the terms and conditions outlined in your contract with your insurance company. We have no authority to make representations to you regarding coverage of items or services covered.

In compliance with health insurance contracts, Broadway Psychiatry requires that all co-payments be collected at the time of service. This includes payments towards coinsurance and deductibles. In some cases, the coinsurance/deductible amount collected will be an estimate, and adjustments will be made once a response is received from your insurance company regarding the claim. This may result in a credit to your account or additional charges. We do not have the option to waive co-payments, deductibles or coinsurance amounts due as that would be a violation of the contract, we have with the insurance company.

It is your responsibility to pay the full fee for services at the time they are rendered unless the Broadway Psychiatry is in-network with your insurance plan. Please provide your insurance card at your initial appointment so that we may keep a copy in your record in accordance with our contract with the insurance company. It is your responsibility to provide us with updated information if your insurance company or plan changes or your coverage terminates. It is also your responsibility to notify us of any changes in address or other contact information. If the insurance information you provide to us is later determined to be inaccurate resulting in a denial of your claim, you will be responsible to pay the amount denied by your carrier. It is your responsibility to pay any charges not eligible and/or not covered by your insurance plan.

If you discontinue care for any reason, all balances will become immediately due and payable in full by you, regardless of any claim submitted. You will receive an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from your insurance company detailing charges, amounts you are responsible for, and amounts they have paid. We do not automatically send billing statements when there is an amount due. Should you need a statement or payment itemization, please request it.

Treatment Policies

Broadway Psychiatry is a private practice of Velile Nkolomi PMHNP-BC, who is a Board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and the sole provider. She is providing psychiatric diagnosis, medication management and, if openings are available, may also offer individual psychotherapy sessions.

The initial treatment sessions will involve an evaluation of your needs. The goal of this initial assessment is to provide you with some first impressions of what our work will include and a suggested treatment plan. Medication and counseling can have both benefits and risks. While benefits are expected from the treatment process, specific results cannot be guaranteed.

Adolescents & Parents

Velile Nkolomi is licensed to treat children and adolescents age 11 years old and older. Adolescents have the right to independently consent to and receive mental health treatment without parental consent, and in that situation information about the treatment cannot be disclosed to anyone without the teenager’s agreement. While privacy in psychotherapy is very important, particularly with teenagers, parental involvement is also essential to successful treatment and requires that some private information be shared with parents. It is our policy to request a verbal agreement between our underage client and their parents allowing us to share general information about the progress of treatment and their attendance at scheduled sessions. Any other communication will require the adolescent’s authorization, unless we feel that they are in danger or are a danger to or are a danger to someone else, in which case we will notify the parents of our concern. Before giving parents any information, we will discuss the matter with the teenager, if possible, and do our best to address any objections they may have.

Referrals

In cases where a referral to another provider is needed, the client will be responsible for contacting suggested providers and evaluating the alternatives.

Appointments and No-show Policies

Successful treatment requires a commitment on the part of the client. It is important that you keep each appointment if possible. There are no telephone consultations. All appointments are in person or via Telehealth.

We realize that, on occasion, you may not be able to make a scheduled appointment. If you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment, please notify us via the Patient Portal or phone (leaving a voicemail) at least 48 hours prior to your scheduled appointment.Please remember that your appointment time has been reserved for you alone. A missed or late cancelled appointment will be considered a “no-show.”It is our policy to charge a $50 for each no-show for a medication management appointment.The no-show charge for psychotherapy appointments is $50 for the first and $100 for each thereafter. Clients who have three (3) or more no-shows may be referred elsewhere for services and discharged from Broadway Psychiatry.

Communications Policies

Please be aware that email is not a secure form of communication and confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. Use of email for communication is therefore strongly discouraged. Velile Nkolomi usually does not respond to emails. Clients are encouraged to use the Patient Portal to send messages and/or requests for appointments or changes of appointments. Please ask for instructions on how to sign on to and use Patient Portal. If you prefer to not use Patient Portal, we request that you send personal and clinical information NOT as an email, but rather use safer options including fax or US Postal mail. If using personal emails, you agree to accept the risk of a breach in confidentiality and will not hold Broadway Psychiatry liable.

Electronic or written communications are NOT to be used to communicate:

• Suicidal or homicidal thoughts or plans
• Urgent or emergency issues
• Serious or severe side effects or concerns
• Rapidly worsening symptoms

In a life-threatening emergency, clients need to call 911 or proceed to the nearest hospital emergency room.

Returning Phone Calls

Broadway Psychiatry is operated solely by Velile Nkolomi, PMHNP-BC and therefore there will be times that no one is able to answer the phone. Please leave a message. Routine calls will be answered typically within 2 business days. Established clients will also have access to an on-call line for urgent issues; e.g., problems with side effects or increases in symptoms that are not life-threatening or emergency situations. Urgent calls will typically be returned within 6 hours.

Medications

For medication refills, please send a request via the patient portal or call the main number. Please note that at this private practice, as in many others, Velile Nkolomi, PMHNP-BC is not in the office every day. Please allow sufficient time for her to receive and respond to your message. If you personally leave a refill request via phone message, please specify the medication name, dose, and the name and phone number of the pharmacy of your choice. Medication refills may take 3 business days from the day the request is received. Please request refills at least 1 week prior to running out of medications. Medication Prior-Authorizations may require 2-3 business days.

*We only authorize one-time medication refills. Patients are required to make it to their monthly appointment to get medications refilled to evaluate medication compliant.

After Hours Emergencies

For after-hours medical emergencies or if you need immediate assistance, call 911 or visit your local emergency room

Medical Records, Forms and Documents

All information within your medical record is confidential and will typically not be released without your written consent except as required to assure coordination of your care. Requests for medical records must be given in writing. Please allow up to 5 business days for transfer of medical records. If there is a request for printed copies, a fee up to $10 may be charged. If you request a letter, forms, or reports related to your care, please understand that preparation of these documents requires time for chart review and often a discussion with the client. There is a charge for these services: $25 for each of the first 3 pages and $15 each additional pages. Please allow 5 business days for letters and other documents to be completed.

Payment for Services

It is the client responsibility to pay for services received at the Broadway psychiatry at the time they are rendered. When no payment or arrangements for payments have been made for balances over 30 days, you may be denied services until payment or payment arrangements are made. You will be responsible for all balances even after your services have ended.

We will provide you with a special receipt called a “superbill” that you can submit to your insurance for partial reimbursement depending on your plans benefits.

If you intend to utilize insurance benefits, your actual cost out of pocket may be substantially less depending on your coverage. In addition, reduced fees are offered for those without insurance coverage based on financial hardship. Please do not hesitate to ask for a discounted rate.

Payments

Broadway Psychiatry accepts cash and personal checks, as well as the following debit or credit cards for payment: Visa, Master Card, American Express and Discover Card.

if mailing, please remit payment to:
Broadway Psychiatry
3021 Ridge Road, Box 11, Rockwall, TX 75032
There is a $35 processing fee for a returned check. Thereafter only cash, or a credit card will be accepted for payment.

Please be aware that email is not a secure form of communication and confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. Use of email for communication is therefore strongly discouraged. Clients are encouraged to use the Patient Portal via Kareo to send messages and/or requests for appointments or changes to appointments. Please ask for instructions on how to sign on to and use Patient portal.