Financial Policy

Santana Mental Health Services is committed to helping patients understand their financial responsibilities before and after care. This page summarizes common billing expectations. It does not replace the full Financial Agreement completed during intake.

Patient Financial Responsibility

Patients are responsible for charges related to services provided by Santana Mental Health Services. Payment may be due at the time of service, after insurance adjudication, after a claim denial, or when a balance is determined to be patient responsibility.

Patients may be responsible for amounts not paid by insurance, including copayments, deductibles, coinsurance, denied claims, non-covered services, retroactive eligibility issues, coordination-of-benefits issues, no-show fees, late-cancellation fees, returned-payment fees, and other patient responsibility balances.

Insurance Verification Is Not a Guarantee

Santana Mental Health Services may verify insurance eligibility and benefits as a courtesy. Verification is not a guarantee of payment, coverage, network status, authorization, medical necessity, or final patient responsibility.

Patients are responsible for understanding their insurance benefits, coverage limitations, deductible, copayments, coinsurance, referral requirements, authorization requirements, exclusions, and changes in coverage.

Card on File

Active patients may be required to maintain a valid credit or debit card on file. Failure to maintain an active card may result in interruption of scheduling, requirement of payment before future appointments, or discharge from the practice in accordance with practice policies and applicable law.

Santana Mental Health Services may use a secure payment processor such as Stripe or another PCI-compliant processor for billing and payment purposes.

Patient Responsibility Notices and 7-Day Payment Window

When a patient responsibility balance is identified, Santana Mental Health Services may send a notice by SMS/text message, email, patient portal message, phone call, mailed statement, or another authorized contact method.

If the balance is not paid, disputed in writing, or otherwise resolved within seven days after the notice is sent, Santana Mental Health Services may charge the authorized card on file for the balance due.

Questions or Disputes

Patients may contact Santana Mental Health Services before a scheduled charge date to request clarification, make payment arrangements, update insurance information, or dispute a balance in writing. A dispute should identify the specific charge or balance and the reason for the dispute.

No-Show, Late-Cancellation, and Returned-Payment Fees

Santana Mental Health Services has a cancellation and no-show policy. Patients who miss an appointment or cancel late under the policy may be responsible for a fee, and insurance may not cover those fees.

Returned checks, rejected ACH payments, or other returned payments may result in additional fees as permitted by policy and law.

Past-Due Balances and Collections

Patient responsibility balances are due upon notice unless other written payment arrangements have been approved. If a patient responsibility balance remains unpaid for more than 60 days after it is incurred, posted, or first communicated, Santana Mental Health Services may refer or submit the unpaid balance to a third-party collections agency or vendor.

This page is provided for general patient information and does not replace Santana Mental Health Services’ full intake forms, consent forms, privacy notices, financial agreements, or applicable law. If there is any conflict between this page and the signed patient forms, the signed forms and applicable law control. Patients may contact Santana Mental Health Services with questions.