Billing made simple and stress-free

How Your Card Is Stored

Where the card information lives

Card details are stored inside the practice’s secure, HIPAA-compliant electronic health record and billing system — not on paper, not in email, and not in any personal file. Full card numbers aren’t visible to the practice; the billing system handles encryption and storage through a payment processor built for healthcare.

Please don’t send card numbers by email, text message, or through the contact form on this website. Those channels aren’t secure. Card information is collected through the client portal or over the phone during intake.

What the Card Is Used For

Charges you can expect

The card on file is only used for charges connected to your own care:

• The session fee for private-pay clients, charged at the time of service
• Copays, coinsurance, or deductible amounts once insurance is in place
• An outstanding balance left after your insurance processes a claim
• Any applicable late cancellation or no-show fee

The card is never charged for anything outside of these, and it isn’t used without your written authorization on file. You’re welcome to update the card, replace it, or ask questions about any charge at any time.

When Payment Is Due

Timing of charges

For private-pay clients, the session fee is due at the time of service and is typically charged on the day of the session. Your exact rate is confirmed during your consultation call and provided to you in writing as part of your Good Faith Estimate before the first session — so you always know the amount before it’s charged.

Once insurance credentialing is complete for your plan, claims are submitted first and your portion is charged after the insurer processes the claim and issues an explanation of benefits. That means an insurance balance may arrive a few weeks after the session itself.

Accepted Payment Methods

Ways to pay

Major credit and debit cards are accepted, along with HSA and FSA cards, since counseling is an eligible medical expense under most plans. Payment is handled through the secure client portal rather than cash, so every charge produces a clear, itemized record you can reference later.

Cancellations and No-Shows

If you need to cancel

Life happens, and the goal is never to penalize anyone for an honest emergency. Because a reserved session time can’t be offered to another client at the last minute, a fee may apply for a late cancellation or a missed session — but the full cancellation and no-show policy, including the notice window and any fee amount, is reviewed and agreed upon together in writing during intake before it could ever apply to you.

If something urgent comes up, reach out as early as you can. Genuine emergencies are considered individually, and nothing here is applied rigidly without a conversation first.

Financial Hardship

If cost becomes a barrier

Money worries shouldn’t be the reason care stops. Sliding-scale adjustment is considered on a case-by-case basis for clients facing financial hardship, and circumstances can be revisited if your situation changes partway through care. If a balance becomes difficult to manage, please say so rather than cancelling — a payment arrangement is almost always possible, and that conversation is confidential like any other.

Insurance, Superbills, and Estimates

Related financial information

Insurance credentialing is actively in progress, including with Medicaid and Medicare. If you’re paying privately but would like to seek partial out-of-network reimbursement, a superbill — an itemized receipt of services — is available on request. Current rates, the fee table, Good Faith Estimate details under the federal No Surprises Act, and your rights around billing disputes are all covered on the Insurance & Rates page.

Privacy of Billing Information

Billing conversations are confidential too

Whatever you share while sorting out coverage or cost — your diagnosis, your history, your circumstances — is held in strict confidence under HIPAA and Louisiana law. Billing conversations get exactly the same privacy protection as clinical ones. More detail is available in the Payment Policy · Privacy Policy.

Questions About Billing

Ask before you book

There’s no shame in asking about cost and no pressure to commit. Email scotty@pridehealing.com or call (337) 283-9997 and get straight answers before scheduling anything.