Here at Alabama Behavioral Health, we strive to make your visit as comfortable and stress-free as possible. The following is a breakdown of what you can expect during your visit to our office.
IMPORTANT: At Alabama Behavioral Health, we do not accept walk-in appointments, and we do not provide crisis or emergency services. Additionally, we do not have an after-hours call service. If you are having any thoughts of harming yourself or others, or if you find yourself in an emergency, please dial 911 right away or visit the nearest emergency room (ER) for immediate assistance. You can also contact Crisis Services of North Alabama Hotline at 256-716-1000, or you can text or call 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. These hotlines are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
All potential new patients who would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Doody are required to complete our New Patient Application. If you have not completed the New Patient Application yet, please click the link below to be redirected to that page.
Once your application has been approved and we have scheduled your initial appointment, we will send you a confirmation email. That email will include a reminder of the scheduled date/time and all of the paperwork required for your initial visit. The paperwork packets can be completed using a PDF application on your computer or you can print the forms to fill in by hand. If you are unable to complete the forms electronically or print the forms, please notify us as soon as possible and we will gladly mail them to your preferred mailing address. We prefer to have the forms returned to us ahead of your visit date if at all possible.
All patients are required to complete the Registration Form, Behavioral Health Questionnaire, and Office Policy Forms – please provide accurate information and fill out all of the forms completely. You will not be able to be seen for your visit without having all of the paperwork completed by the time of your appointment.
On the day of your visit, we ask that you arrive 30 minutes early for your appointment with copies of your completed paperwork.** We will need to obtain a copy of your insurance card and a form of picture identification (driver’s license, student ID, passport, etc.), so please be sure to bring these with you. We also have some short questionnaires that we will ask you to complete before each visit. These forms help to provide the doctor with an update on your current mental health and assist in pinpointing any specific problems you may be struggling with.
**If you have not completed your paperwork before your appointment date then you must arrive at least one hour early to complete your paperwork before your scheduled appointment time. Please Note – If you do not arrive at least one hour early to complete the new patient paperwork when necessary, we will have to reschedule your visit and a fee of $50 will be charged for missing the appointment. Our office policy is that we will only reschedule your initial visit ONE TIME for lack of paperwork being completed.
Insurance and Fees
Currently, we are accepting most Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, including EPS (Expanded Psychiatric Services) plans. Insurance acceptance is subject to change and we recommend that you contact the office to have your insurance coverage verified.
Any insurance co-payments, co-insurances, or balances are due at the time of your visit. Our office accepts cash, credit cards, or checks as forms of payment. If you are planning to pay with cash we ask that you bring exact change as our office does not keep change on hand. If a check is returned to our office due to insufficient funds, then our office will no longer accept checks from you and there will be a fee of $25.00 in addition to any bank fees. We do not accept post-dated checks.
Please expect your first visit to take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, as the doctor will have to review your paperwork and go over your previous medical history with you. Follow-up appointments are typically scheduled for 30 minutes, but if the doctor feels your visit will require more time then we will schedule accordingly.
We understand that your time is valuable and we will make every effort to limit your wait time in our office to the best of our ability. We will always do our very best to schedule appointments during times that are convenient for your schedule. While we do understand that unforeseen circumstances may arise and prevent you from making your scheduled appointment, we do ask that you provide the office with a 24-hour notice for canceling the appointment if at all possible. Appointments that are canceled with less than 24-hour notice or that are missed without any notice provided are subject to a $50 fee.