Practice Policies
Welcome to Kelley Starling Psychiatry! A detailed, complete list of the office policies is located in your patient portal “Office Policies and Procedures” and requires your signature. This is a condensed list of the highlights.
How to Contact Dr. Kelley Starling
My office number is 713-543-0063. If I am assisting another patient, or if you call my office after hours, the call will go directly to voicemail. I check voicemail frequently during business hours, and typically return calls from 9am to 5pm, Monday through Thursday. You may also message my office through the Spruce app, which is a HIPAA protected, secure messaging platform for medical practices. To access Spruce, press the “Message Us” button on the website.
If you have an urgent after-hours issue which cannot wait until the next business day, please call 713-543-0063 and leave a message with your name and the number to reach you. If you are unable to reach me or cannot wait for my return call, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. If I am away, the name and contact information for the covering doctor can be found by calling my office.
My email address is info@kelleystarlingmd.sprucecare.com. Email is not a secure form of communication—most communications should go through the Spruce message app.
Fees
Full payment is due at the time of each service, and your card on file in your patient portal will be charged the day of your appointment. I do not participate in any insurance plans. I will provide a statement you can submit to your insurance company for out-of-network reimbursement. The current fees for follow-up sessions are $350 for a 55-minute session and $175 for a 25-minute session. Initial evaluations are 90 minutes in length and billed at $450. Small fee increases occur annually. Other services including patient-initiated phone calls, letters or forms that require more than 15 minutes of my time outside of a session will be billed at a prorated fee.
Cancellations
Appointments cancelled less than 24 hours prior to the scheduled time will be charged at full fee. If you are unable to make your appointment, please message or call no later than one business day prior to your appointment.
Prior to the initial visit, it’s necessary to complete all questionnaires and consent forms through your patient portal. A signed release of information will be required to gather additional information from other healthcare providers. All paperwork must be completed at least 48 hours in advance of your appointment, or your appointment will be subject to cancellation.
Prescription Refills
I will not prescribe any medication to a patient who has not been seen in more than 3 months without an appointment. If you are prescribed medication, I will provide you with enough medication to last until your next scheduled appointment. It is your responsibility to make and keep appointments at the recommended interval to ensure that you don’t run out of medication.
Controlled substances will NOT be refilled outside of scheduled appointments.
Contact me directly, not your pharmacy, if you need a refill of prescribed medication. All refill requests must be made by phone or on Spruce; requests cannot be made via email. When requesting a refill, please leave all pertinent information including date of birth and pharmacy phone number. Please allow 48 – 72 hours to process a refill request.
Disability and FMLA Requests
Patients must be in treatment with Dr. Starling for at least six (6) months with a minimum of 10 visits in order for disability or FMLA paperwork completion to be considered. There will be an additional fee for such paperwork. Please note that Dr. Starling does not write letters for emotional support animals.
Quick Links to Policy Documents
Simply click on the text links below to easy download any policy document.