If you plan to use insurance benefits to cover services, Del Alma Psychological Services or another billing/healthcare company that is partnered with the practice (e.g., Alma, Lyra Health) will provide you with an estimation of benefits as a courtesy and share this information with you. The goal when verifying your benefits is to provide you with a clear understanding about the cost for services, including what your benefits may cover and what your estimated cost will be for your care.

Please be aware, an estimate of benefits is not a guarantee of payment. Insurance coverage can change without notice and this can impact payments and your responsibility. Therefore, it is recommended that you contact your insurance to confirm coverage. I encourage you do this throughout the course of treatment.

If you do not have insurance or plan to use out-of-network benefits, the initial intake session is billed at $225 and follow-up sessions are billed at $175 to $200 depending on the length of the session. Fees will be re-evaluated periodically and contracted rates with insurance companies are subject to change. I accept debit/credit card payments through the client portal. Payment is due the day of each session.

Many insurance carriers offer OON coverage. This usually means that they cover a percentage of the session cost, and you are responsible for covering the rest. This is different from a copay or coinsurance. If I am not an in-network provider with your insurance and you would like to use OON benefits, I can help with the process by providing you with a superbill, a statement that delineates the services I provided to you. You can send the superbill to your insurance, and they are responsible with reimbursing you directly. I encourage you to contact your insurance to find out 1) what your OON benefits are (they will be able to tell you what percent of my fee they cover and what percent you will owe), and 2) how to submit your superbill.

Please be mindful that I do not submit any paperwork for OON billing and the full fee is due at the time of service.

The Good Faith Estimate is a written statement of reasonably expected out-of-pocket costs for any non-emergency items and services for your health care needs. You have a legal right to receive a Good Faith Estimate in the following circumstances: 1) You do not have health insurance to bill for services, 2) You are choosing not to submit a claim to your health insurance (also known as “self-pay”), or 3) Dr. Vargas and/or Del Alma Psychological Services does not have an agreement with your health insurance to provide services and is therefore considered OON. If any of these circumstances apply to you, I will provide you with a Good Faith Estimate prior to your appointment.

Additional information about your legal right to receive a Good Faith Estimate: Make sure your health care provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least 1 business day before your medical service or item. You can also ask your healthcare provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service. If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate. For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit. www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call (800) 368-1019.

“Covered Services” means that services provided are a covered benefit under an insurance plan. However, just because a service is regarded as a “covered service,” it does not mean that the service is paid in full by your insurance plan. Typically, all services are subject to your plan’s co-pay, deductible and/or co-insurance. To make sure you feel clear about your benefits and out-of-pocket costs, please contact your insurance carrier to confirm Dr. Vargas’s in-network status with your plan, also confirming your copay, coinsurance and deductible amounts. Though Del Alma Psychological Services and/or another partnered billing/healthcare company (e.g., Alma, Lyra Health) will check your insurance benefits as a courtesy on your behalf, we are unable to guarantee the accuracy of the information we receive from insurance companies. With this in mind, please make sure you are also contacting your insurance prior to and throughout services.

I do not offer phone consultations before an initial intake appointment. The initial appointment is intended to be an opportunity for us to determine if the match is appropriate.

If you need to cancel or reschedule a session, I ask that you provide at least 24-hour "Business Day" notice; this means, for example, that for a Monday cancellation, you are asked to cancel by the preceding Friday, at or before the time of your scheduled appointment on Monday. If you miss an appointment without notice (“no show”) or notify me less than 24 hours in advance (“late cancellation”), you will be charged a no show/late cancellation fee of $100.

If you are more than 15 minutes late to a scheduled follow-up psychotherapy appointment or 10 minutes late to an initial intake appointment, I may no longer be able to see you and reserve the right to reschedule the appointment. Additionally, the no show/late cancellation fee of $100 will apply.

If you no-show to two or more scheduled appointments, you may be discharged from my practice and provided with appropriate referrals for care at my discretion.

Insurance companies do not provide reimbursement for no-show or late canceled sessions; this means that you are responsible for this fee.

Our first appointment is an opportunity for me to learn about you and your current concerns, as well as for us to determine if I am the right therapist for you. Once we review the informed consent and practice policies, we will focus on discussing what brings you to therapy and your hopes for therapy. I will also ask you questions about your personal history, such as relevant experiences in your life, your medical/physical health, prior experiences in therapy, relationships, education, and employment. This information helps me form initial diagnostic impressions and preliminary recommendations for your care. If we both decide to work together, we will conclude with any questions you might have and discuss our next steps for therapy. If we decide that you will be better served by a different therapist, I am happy to assist you in finding another therapist.