Frequently Asked Questions

What insurance do you accept?

Blue Cross Blue Shield, Tufts Health Plan, Harvard Pilgrim, United Behavioral Health, United Healthcare, Magellan, GIC, and Medicare.

Someone referred me to you and I’m interested in becoming a patient.

If you are interested in becoming a patient, please call my voicemail at 781-749-2278 to see if there are any available openings. If openings are available, my appointment assistant will then be in touch with you to schedule an initial evaluation. Prior to your appointment, please complete the forms online and email them to me, along with a picture of your insurance card.

How can I request a refill?

If you are a current patient in need of a medication refill, please send me an email through my patient portal here or leave a message on my voicemail.

Please include your name, date of birth, medication name, dosage, and pharmacy name where you would like your prescription filled.

Please allow 24 -36 hours for these refills to be completed.

How often should I make an appointment?

Frequency of follow-up appointments is determined based on the patient’s needs and is continually reassessed at every appointment as determined by his or her progress and mental health status.

How long is an initial appointment?

The initial appointment for an extensive evaluation is scheduled for 45-60 minutes.

What is your payment policy?

I expect payment at time of service. The patient is responsible for providing me with up-to-date insurance information and if appropriate I will bill insurance for that visit. All copays are expected to be paid at time of visit. The patient is responsible for all copays, deductibles and visits not covered by insurance. My fee for an initial evaluation is $200.00 and for follow-up appointments is $125.00. All insurance information is taken as a courtesy meaning that the patient agrees that their insurance company will pay me directly for services rendered and if the information proves to be invalid or inaccurate the patient is responsible for services rendered and any outstanding balance incurred.

How long is a follow up appointment?

Follow-up appointments are typically scheduled for increments of 15-20 minutes.

What is your payment policy?

I expect payment at time of service. The patient is responsible for providing me with up-to-date insurance information and if appropriate I will bill insurance for that visit. All copays are expected to be paid at time of visit. The patient is responsible for all copays, deductibles and visits not covered by insurance. My fee for an initial evaluation is $200.00 and for follow-up appointments is $150.00. All insurance information is taken as a courtesy meaning that the patient agrees that their insurance company will pay me directly for services rendered and if the information proves to be invalid or inaccurate the patient is responsible for services rendered and any outstanding balance incurred.

What is your cancellation policy?

I expect the patient to give me 24 hours’ advance notice of cancellation except in the event of extreme necessity.

Failure to do so will result in a charge of $150 for late cancellation/no-show.

All phone and telehealth sessions are subject to the same practices and policies as in-person appointments, including a 24-hour cancellation notice, unless it’s an emergency.
Therefore, failure to not answer your phone or be available via Telehealth without contacting me first will be subject to the same $150 cancellation fee.

What is a patient portal?

If you are an existing patient, my patient portal offers online access to send me secure emails with medical questions and refill requests, make appointments, and log in for video telehealth appointments. This is the primary method of communication with my patients.

What is myiO?

My Patient Portal software, Valant, is becoming MYIO.
You can download the MYIO app for iPhone or Android.
MYIO is used to request an appointment, attend a scheduled telehealth appointment, request refills, sign medical forms, and send me secure emails.
All credit card info will now be stored in this software and my other credit card program will be closed.

How can I make an appointment online?

If you are an existing patient, you can book a follow-up appointment online using my online patient portal here.

How do I set up an account through your patient portal?

If you are an existing patient and you do not have a patient portal account, please get in touch with me to request an activation link for your new portal account.

After I hear from you, I will email you a link instructing you to create an account that will expire in 7 days.

The email will come from no-reply@valant.com with the subject line: “Deborah Farber APRN, P.C. Patient Portal Account Setup.”

I'm not receiving the forgot password email for my portal account, help!

A common issue with Valant/MYIO is that patients are not receiving their forgot password email.
If you are having this issue, please contact me at 781-749-2278 to let me know and I will generate a temporary password for you to use that you can change at a later date.

Do you offer telehealth appointments?

The option for telehealth appointments is available via phone or video.

When booking an appointment, please let me know which method you prefer to meet with me, either phone or via secure video chat.

1.) Please think ahead of time about what issues you would like to discuss during our meeting and if you need any refills.
2.) Pay attention to reminders. If you cannot make an appointment once you receive a reminder, please give me AT LEAST 24 HOURS’ NOTICE to reschedule for an unexpected emergency. A missed telehealth appointment fee is $150.
3.) Please have your ringer on and NOT have the phone on silent.
4.) Please be somewhere where you can hear the phone and have some privacy. This is difficult if you are somewhere public that is noisy.
5.) Please approach these appointments with the same intent as if they were occurring in person.
Everyone will receive a reminder from my patient portal system, Valant, 2 days ahead of their scheduled appointment, and for most of you, it will be two reminders: one via text and one via email.

How do I join my telehealth session?

Effective May 31, 2023, patients must download the MYIO mobile app to join telehealth sessions.

Patients on mobile devices can also join telehealth sessions through the app without an account, but you must download the app and click the guest access link.

You can download the MYIO app for iPhone or Android.

What is a Prior Authorization?

A Prior Authorization (PA) is an additional documentation requirement that I, as your prescribing provider, need to provide to your insurance company in order to explain the medical necessity of the medication I am prescribing for you.
This may be necessary if the medication is not typically covered by your health insurance or if we have already tried alternative medications without success.
The PA process usually takes several days and the timeline depends on how quickly and completely the information is provided and reviewed by your insurance company.
In the event that you have not received any communication from your pharmacy, please note that a prior authorization is not required.

How can I avoid delays in getting a refill when a prior authorization (PA) is needed?

To avoid any delays in getting your medication refilled in a timely manner, I recommend taking the following steps:
  1. Contact the number on your insurance card to identify which pharmacy benefits company manages your medication coverage. For example, if you have Blue Cross Blue Shield, your pharmacy benefits company may be CVS Caremark, but it could be a different division within CVS Caremark.
  2. When contacting your insurance company or pharmacy benefits company, request that they approve the prior authorization for a longer duration, such as 2 years, to minimize the need for yearly re-authorization requests.
  3. When requesting a prior authorization to be done, please be sure to tell me exactly who the pharmacy benefits company is so I can get it to the right place.
By being proactive and obtaining the necessary information from your insurance company, you can help expedite the PA process and avoid any potential delays in getting your medication refilled.

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