FAQs
What types of patients do you see in your practice?
I see individuals and couples, ages 18 and up. I typically work with people who are coping with anxiety, depression, medical illness, caregiver stress, sleep difficulties, relationship difficulties, and life transitions, as well as other general outpatient psychiatric and health psychology issues.
Due to the nature of telehealth, I am not currently working with individuals who are currently coping with an active substance use disorder, paranoia/psychosis, violent living situation, concern for self-harm/harm to others.
The individual must be located in Florida/Georgia due to licensure requirements.
How does telehealth work/what do I need?
Telehealth is effective, convenient, and easy to do. All you need is an internet connection on your phone or computer and a private area to talk. I am currently using doxy.me for the video/audio calls. It works best with the latest versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge or Safari 11+. Here is a link for minimum system requirements: https://help.doxy.me/en/articles/95860-minimum-system-requirements
I will email you a link ( https://doxy.me/drzeichner ) a few minutes before your scheduled appointment. When you are ready for your appointment, you click on the link. This will take you to my virtual waiting room.
What happens if we get disconnected?
If we get disconnected from a video session, please check your internet connection. End and re-start the session. I will do the same on my end. If we are unable to reconnect within 10 minutes, we can continue with an audio session on the phone. Please make sure you have a phone with you, and I have that phone number. If we are on a phone session and get disconnected, please call me back or contact me to schedule another session. If the issue is due to my technology, and we are not able to reconnect, I will not charge you for that session.
What can I expect from the first contact/session and following sessions?
Once you reach out to me through email/voicemail/text, I will call you back and we will talk for a few minutes to answer any additional questions, to see if we may be a good fit to work together, and to schedule our initial appointment. I will then email you two packets. One is just to read over and includes the notice of privacy practices and informed consent. The other is to be completed and emailed back to me prior to our first appointment. At the first appointment, we will go over the paperwork, and we will discuss more about what brings you in. I will also be asking questions over the first couple of sessions to learn more about you in general. Together, we will develop some goals and a plan for treatment. This will help us to make sure we are on the same page and track progress as we go.
How long are sessions? How often are sessions?
Sessions are 50 minutes long. The frequency may differ depending on the individual and the individual’s needs. They usually start out on a weekly basis to get some momentum going. Eventually, they may spread out to every other week; and later on, may taper further. Of course, you can always increase the frequency again as needed.
How long does therapy last?
Depending on an individual’s presenting concerns, personal history, and goals for treatment, therapy can last from a couple of months to several years. Once patients are feeling better and decide to stop treatment, they are also welcome to come back in for a follow-up session or resume regular sessions as needed—as can often occur with additional life stressors.
What are your fees? Do you accept insurance?
At this time, I am paneled with Cigna/Evernorth Behavioral Health insurance. For applicable fees, please check directly with your insurance company or contact this office, and I will be happy to help you determine any co-pays/fees.
For individuals who do not have Cigna insurance, I also accept private-pay. I charge $150 per session. I do offer a sliding scale if needed, as access to care is a priority. If this is something you think you would benefit from, please don’t hesitate to contact me to see if this is something we can work with.
How does payment work?
I will take your credit card information verbally either prior to or towards the beginning of our first session. The information will be stored within the secure electronic medical record, Simple Practice, and is processed with Stripe Online Payments. You will be billed after each session. Accepted cards include: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB, Discover, and Diners Club.
What is a Good Faith Estimate?
You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost. Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services.
You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services. This includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment, and hospital fees.
Make sure your health care provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least one business day before your medical service or item. You can also ask your health care 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 contact Dr. Rachel Zeichner at dr.zeichner@rachelzeichnerpsyd.com.
What is your cancellation policy?
In the event that you are unable to keep an appointment, please notify me at least 24 hours in advance. If such advance notice is not received (with the exception of extenuating circumstances), you will be financially responsible for the session you missed.
What is your response time?
I will generally return phone calls, texts, and emails within 24-48 hours. However, I do not check/return messages on weekends/holidays; and may not be able to do so within this time frame if out of the office for other reasons—in which case I will generally leave an outgoing automated message as such.
What should I do in the case of an emergency?
If you have a mental health emergency, I encourage you not to wait for communication back from me, but to do one of the following:
Call 911
Go to the emergency room of your choice
Call National Suicide Prevention Life Line at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK)
Call your local behavioral health hospital/go to your local psychiatric receiving facility