From the Office of: Mario J. Frabizzio Jr. Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist
SNOW POLICY
Now that the snow is upon us, my new snow policy will be in effect immediately. I am fortunate to have such a loyal group of patients and families, some of whom were impacted by previous year’s weekday snowstorms. To avoid any confusion this year the policies below are intended to help you understand how fees will apply on snow days and, therefore, help you make your decision about attending appointments on snow days. First, please understand that before deciding to cancel your scheduled appointment, my schedule is so heavy and tightly booked, that if you miss your appointment, no makeup appointment will likely be available the same week. You will have to wait until your next scheduled appointment to make up that meeting. Secondly, school closings do not mean our appointment is cancelled, rather it may viewed as a possibility to meet at an earlier time that day than originally scheduled.
With the onset of the pandemic, teletherapy has been the norm. With the anticipation of teletherapy becoming more commonplace and reimbursed by insurance companies, on snow days where the precipitation is considerable the entire appointment schedule on snow days may revert to teletherapy to avoid travel risks and missed appointments. You will be notified in advance when snow days will be conducted via teletherapy instead of in-person, especially if: Delaware declares a state of emergency; snow accumulates more than 4 inches; or there is a severe ice or sleet storm.
On light snow days or days where snow begins later in the day after the start of office hours:
APPOINTMENTS CANNOT BE MISSED WITHOUT 24 HOURS NOTICE OR YOU WILL BE CHARGED A $35 BROKEN APPOINTMENT FEE FOR THE FIRST MISSED APPOINTMENT AND $75 FOR A SECOND MISSED APPOINTMENT. AND BEYOND.
THIS FEE IS PAYABLE AT YOUR NEXT VISIT- NO EXCEPTIONS.
PROCEDURE TO CANCEL APPOINTMENTS WITHOUT CHARGE:
When you receive your email Appointment Reminder the day before your session, if you choose not to keep your scheduled appointment or do not want to switch to a teletherapy visit, that is the time to cancel. No charge will occur if the response to cancel by email or phone is made the day before the appointment.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:
People respond differently to driving in the snow and patients travel varying distances for their office visits. Some are reluctant to travel, others are not. However, a clinical practice revolves around scheduled appointment times. Therefore, even if you plan to BREAK your appointment and pay the Fee, others will come to treatment in the snow. Rather than just not show for your session, call and email me as early as possible about your decision not to attend. This allows time to move scheduled patients around that day to avoid later evening appointments and large gaps of open time between appointments that can be utilized by those who choose to attend.
