ATN is located just three miles south of Springfield and north of the Nixa city limits. Directions from the intersection of Highway 160 and Highway CC:

Turn east on CC Highway and immediately south on Commerce Drive. ATN is located between Farmers Insurance and the Walkabout/Baked Bean Coffee Shop in the Plaza Drive Business Center right behind Commerce Bank.

My standard session length is 50 minutes with a session fee of $150.

Longer sessions can be scheduled on a case by case basis and are priced at +$75 for each 30 minute add-on (90 minute appointments are $225, 120 minute appointments are $300, etc).

I also offer EMDR "intensives" (multiple hours and/or days) priced on a case by case basis. Feel free to ask me if you'd like to discuss further!

Please be aware that if you are filing claims to your insurance, session lengths may be dictated by your plan coverage and benefits.

It depends! Medical insurance plans require that the services you are receiving are "medically necessary," and they must also meet the covered service type on your plan (your plan may not pay for every service).

"Medically necessary" means:

1. You must  demonstrate the diagnostic symptoms for medically necessary treatment (i.e. a "mental health diagnosis"). Keep in mind that your plan may not pay for every diagnosis.

2. You must also demonstrate that you are suffering from daily and routine functional impairment in various settings / circumstances in your life, and that the counseling treatment you are receiving is required to relieve your symptoms and resolve these impairments.

While personal and relationship growth and enrichment are extremely common (and very valid) reasons for which people seek out counseling services, these reasons alone may not fulfill the “medically necessary” insurance requirements.

If you DO meet the medically necessary criteria for your insurance plan and you wish to proceed with the submission of claims to your insurance to receive payable benefits, please be aware that your insurance plan will then dictate the type and length of services and duration of treatment that you can receive from me. At any time, your insurance plan may also request your treatment notes and any documentation of the services you have received to evaluate whether they agree that you meet their criteria for the services and treatment that you are receiving.

Many people do not want their treatment to be dictated in these ways by an insurance plan, or they do not want to be assigned a mental health diagnosis as part of their health record. They may be concerned about the interference this could create for military and security clearance or for the purchase of a fire-arm as the FBI gun-purchase background check systems may retrieve information regarding mental health treatment via the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) that is used for this purpose.

These are all things to consider as part of your informed consent process for the filing of insurance claims. 

If I am in network with your insurance plan, and you do NOT want me to file claims, you have the right to "opt out" of filing claims.

If I am in network with your insurance plan and you DO want to utilize your insurance benefits, I will file claims to your insurance on your behalf. Please be aware that there is not a guarantee of benefits paid by your plan and that you (not your insurance plan) are ultimately responsible for any applicable fees. Generally speaking, you will be responsible for any non-covered services or non-covered diagnoses on your plan. For covered services and diagnoses that meet medical necessity, you will be responsible for any deductible, co-insurance, and co-payments that apply to your plan benefits.

If I am NOT in network with your insurance plan, I am able to provide you with a Superbill that includes all the applicable codes for the services. You can use this information to file directly to your insurance for any reimbursement they will grant you.

I am in network with Ciigna/Evernorth Health Plans and Mercy commercial group insurance plans which include Aetna, Firsthealth, HealthLink, HealthScope Benefits plans, MedPay, Inc, Mercy Benefit Administrators plans, and Meritain Health. There may be other Mercy network plans included in this contract. Feel free to ask me about your particular plan). I am NOT in network with the direct Mercy employee BCBS medical/behavioral health plan. 

I am also contracted with the following EAP plans:
Behavioral Health Systems, Business Health Services, ,Carebridge, Corporate Counseling Associates, Employee Services, Inc (ESI), Mercy, Mutual of Omaha, and KePRo

My standard session lengths are 50 minutes. I offer extended sessions on a case by case basis. See "How much does counseling cost?" for more information.

Some people find that they only want or need a few visits and other people want or need a longer treatment model or prefer to come on ongoing basis (monthly, for example) as part of their overall personal wellness practices.

Keep in mind that if you are filing claims to your insurance or EAP program, session lengths as well as how many sessions you are allowed are dictated by your plan benefits. See "Will my insurance pay for services?" for more information. 

EAP visits are an employer benefit that is separate from your medical benefits and is based on a brief model of counseling that typically allows for an average total of 3-6 visits. You may be eligible to continue further treatment with me after you use your EAP benefits if your EAP plan allows me to self-refer for further treatment. 

Call me (417-848-5574) or send me a message through the "Contact Me" button. I offer a free 15 minute phone consult to answer any questions you may have and to provide an opportunity for us each to decide if feels like a good fit to schedule services.

Once we decide to proceed, I will send you the digital link for the registration and consent forms, and once these forms are complete, we will get you on the schedule!

No Surprises Act

Effective January 1, 2022, the No Surprises Act, which Congress passed as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, is designed to protect patients from surprise bills for emergency services at out-of-network facilities or for out-of-network providers at in-network facilities, holding them liable only for in-network cost-sharing amounts. The No Surprises Act also enables uninsured patients to receive a good faith estimate of the cost of care.

Billing Disclosures – Your Rights and Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills

When you get emergency care or get treated by an out-of-network provider at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, you are protected from surprise billing or balance billing.

What is “balance billing” (sometimes called “surprise billing”)?

When you see a doctor or other health care provider, you may owe certain out-of-pocket costs, such as a copayment, coinsurance, and/or a deductible. You may have other costs or have to pay the entire bill if you see a provider or visit a health care facility that isn’t in your health plan’s network.

 “Out-of-network” describes providers and facilities that haven’t signed a contract with your health plan. Out-of-network providers may be permitted to bill you for the difference between what your plan agreed to pay and the full amount charged for a service. This is called “balance billing.” This amount is likely more than in-network costs for the same service and might not count toward your annual out-of-pocket limit.

 “Surprise billing” is an unexpected balance bill. This can happen when you can’t control who is involved in your care–like when you have an emergency or when you schedule a visit at an in-network facility but are unexpectedly treated by an out-of-network provider.

You are protected from balance billing for:

Emergency services

If you have an emergency medical condition and get emergency services from an out-of-network provider or facility, the most the provider or facility may bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount (such as copayments and coinsurance). You can’t be balance billed for these emergency services. This includes services you may get after you’re in stable condition, unless you give written consent and give up your protections not to be balanced billed for these post-stabilization services.

Additionally, Missouri protects patients from surprise medical bills for health care services provided at an in-network facility from an out-of-network provider from the time the patient presents with an emergency medical condition until the patient is discharged.

Certain services at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center

When you get services from an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, certain providers there may be out-of-network. In these cases, the most those providers may bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount. This applies to emergency medicine, anesthesia, pathology, radiology, laboratory, neonatology, assistant surgeon, hospitalist, or intensivist services. These providers can’t balance bill you and may not ask you to give up your protections not to be balance billed.

If you get other services at these in-network facilities, out-of-network providers can’t balance bill you, unless you give written consent and give up your protections.

You’re never required to give up your protections from balance billing. You also aren’t required to get care out-of-network. You can choose a provider or facility in your plan’s network.

Additionally, Missouri law requires that patients pay only their in-network cost sharing amounts. These protections apply to any patient covered by a state regulated insurance plan but does not apply to a liability insurance policy, workers’ compensation insurance policy, or medical payments insurance issued as a supplement to a liability policy.

When balance billing isn’t allowed, you also have the following protections:

• You are only responsible for paying your share of the cost (like the copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles that you would pay if the provider or facility was in-network). Your health plan will pay out-of-network providers and facilities directly.

• Your health plan generally must:

  • Cover emergency services without requiring you to get approval for services in advance (prior authorization).

  • Cover emergency services by out-of-network providers.

  • Base what you owe the provider or facility (cost-sharing) on what it would pay an in-network provider or facility and show that amount in your explanation of benefits.

  • Count any amount you pay for emergency services or out-of-network services toward your deductible and out-of-pocket limit.

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 1 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.

Get More Information

For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit cms.gov/nosurprises or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
If you believe you’ve been wrongly billed, you may contact:

 The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or visit https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises for more information about your rights under federal law.

State of Missouri Department of Insurance, call 800-726-7390.