A Better Outlook Psychiatry & Addiction is currently working to become in-network for most major insurance companies. Please continuously check the website tab for your state to see in-network coverage. All patients will receive an itemized receipt (superbill) that can be submitted to the insurance company for possible reimbursement.

In compliance with health insurance contracts, A Better Outlook Psychiatry & Addiction will require 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 A Better Outlook Psychiatry & Addiction 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.

A Better Outlook Psychiatry & Addiction is a private practice providing psychiatric diagnosis, medication management, and 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.

Micah Duke is licensed to treat children and adolescents across the lifespan, but recommends treatment for ages 5 years old and older. 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. Parental consent is not required for counseling with regard to suicide prevention, chemical addiction or dependency, or sexual, physical, or emotional abuse.

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

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 $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 A Better Outlook Psychiatry & Addiction.

Please be aware that email is not a secure form of communication and confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. The use of email for communication is therefore strongly discouraged. 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 of confidentiality and will not hold A Better Outlook Psychiatry & Addiction 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.

A Better Outlook Psychiatry & Addiction is a private practice and therefore there will be times when 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.

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, Micah Duke, PMHNP-BC is not in the office every day. Please allow sufficient time for him 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 appointments to get medications refilled to evaluate medication compliance.

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

All information within your medical record is confidential and will typically not be released without your written consent except as required to ensure coordination of your care. Requests for medical records must be given in writing. Please allow up to 5 business days for the transfer of medical records. If there is a request for printed copies, a fee of 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 for each additional page. Please allow 5 business days for letters and other documents to be completed.

It is the client’s responsibility to pay for services received at A Better Outlook Psychiatry & Addiction at the time services 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 require payment upfront for any plans we are not in network with.
We will provide you with a special receipt called a “superbill” that you can submit to your insurance for partial reimbursement depending on the benefits of your plan.

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:  A Better Outlook Psychiatry & Addiction accepts cash, money orders, cashier’s checks, and Zelle, as well as the following debit or credit cards for payment: Visa, Master Card, American Express, and Discover Card. There is a $75 processing fee for a returned debit or credit card.

If mailing, payments must be received prior to receiving services. Please remit payment to:

A Better Outlook Psychiatry & Addiction
1001 Travis Ranch Blvd, Ste. 2
Forney, TX 75126

We, at A Better Outlook Psychiatry & Addiction, believe in protecting your privacy and do not believe seeking help for mental health should be stigmatized or punished. We do not support Red Flag laws that restrict the rights of patients, based solely on a diagnosis, without the threat of imminent harm. Therefore, we will protect your confidential information and refuse to comply with reporting requirements mandated by such laws that violate the Due Process protections guaranteed by the Constitution. However, if a client poses an imminent threat to himself/herself or another person, we may be required to report the threat to prevent harm and protect the sanctity of life.

We, at A Better Outlook Psychiatry & Addiction, will never discriminate based on race, politics, sex, gender, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, or any other identifying characteristic. However, we will not provide written approval letters supporting gender reassignment surgeries, puberty blocker medications, or transitional hormone therapy for children or adults since gender dysphoria, gender incongruence, and transgenderism are all psychiatric disorders that are the result of deeper, more serious mental illnesses. Contrary to trending media hype, these drastic, permanent gender transition procedures rarely improve the overall mental health of a patient and often cause worsening symptoms compounded by these irreversible medical procedures. Puberty blockers and hormone therapy can also cause significant long-term physical health problems and can interact with or reduce the effect of prescribed psychiatric medications. Your health and overall well-being are very important to us, so we are committed to providing holistic care to each of our clients, with the goal of treating any underlying illnesses rather than just masking the symptoms with potentially harmful cosmetic procedures.