HELPFUL INFORMATION AND RESOURCES

The “No Surprises Act” (the Act), which allows for patient financial protections that impact health plans, physicians, and facilities, will apply to psychiatrists in certain circumstances. Beginning January 1, 2022, psychiatrists and other health care providers will be:

1. required to give uninsured and self-pay patients a good faith estimate of costs for services that they offer, when scheduling care or when the patient requests an estimate: and

2. prohibited from balance billing “surprise bills” to patients for emergency and certain non-emergency services provided at facilities.

Psychiatrists working in group practices or larger organizational settings and facilities will likely receive direction from their compliance department or lawyers on how to satisfy this new requirement.