Office Policies & Patient Guidelines
To ensure smooth, safe, consistent care for all patients, please review our practice policies regarding scheduling, communication, medications, telehealth, emergencies, and required procedures.
Scheduling & Appointment Requests
At Dogwood Psychiatry, all appointments must be scheduled in advance. New and existing patients may request an appointment by phone, email, or through our secure online request form. Online requests are reviewed by our administrative team to confirm provider availability and ensure that the requested time is appropriate for the type of appointment needed.
Submitting a request does not guarantee an appointment. All requests must be reviewed, and our staff will contact you with confirmation or alternative options.
To provide every patient with accurate scheduling:
- New patients must complete required intake paperwork before an appointment can be scheduled.
- Existing patients should request follow-up visits at least 2–4 weeks in advance when possible.
- Appointment availability varies by provider and may be affected by current wait times.
For urgent concerns, medication issues, or time-sensitive changes, please call our office directly or message in the patient portal instead of submitting an online appointment request.
Arrival Policy
We ask all patients to arrive 15 minutes before their scheduled appointment.
New patients 15+ minutes late and follow-ups 10+ minutes late may be rescheduled and charged a late fee.
No-Show & Late Cancellation Policy
We understand that you have a life with its own commitments and that unexpected changes can arise. With more than 24 hours notice, we are happy to try to accommodate your schedule to the best of our ability.
If you need to cancel or reschedule a session, please provide at least one business day (24 hours) notice. For example, appointments scheduled for a Monday must be cancelled on or before the preceding Friday.
Effective November 1, 2025, if you miss a session without canceling or cancel with less than 24 business hours’ notice, you will be charged the $200 for missed new patient appointments and $100 for missed follow-ups. This charge must be paid before a new appointment can be scheduled.
Please note: insurance companies do not provide reimbursement for late cancellations or no-shows.
Communication Policy
At Dogwood Psychiatry, we strive to respond to all patient inquiries in a timely and efficient manner. To ensure smooth communication and protect your privacy, please review the following guidelines:
Routine Questions & Messages
-Routine, non-urgent questions should be sent through your Charm Patient Portal.
-Portal messages are monitored Monday-Thursday, 8:15 AM – 4:45 PM, and Friday 8:15 AM – 12 PM excluding holidays.
-Responses are typically provided within 1–2 business days.
-Please note that clinical questions may require a scheduled appointment depending on complexity.
Phone Calls
-Our administrative team is available during business hours to assist with scheduling, billing, and general practice information.
-If we are assisting another patient, please leave a voicemail with your name, date of birth, phone number, and the reason for your call.
-Calls are returned in the order received.
Email Disclaimer
-Email is not a secure or HIPAA-compliant method of communication.
-Do not use email for clinical questions, appointment changes, or protected health information.
-Email should be used only for limited administrative purposes when instructed by our staff.
Prescription & Medication Refill Policy
To ensure safe, timely, and appropriate medication management, please review our prescription refill guidelines:
Routine Medication Refills
-Please request refills at least 3 business days before you run out of medication.
-Refill requests must be submitted through your Patient Portal or directly through your pharmacy.
-Requests made after hours, on weekends, or on holidays will be processed the next business day.
Controlled Substances
For safety and regulatory reasons, controlled substance prescriptions:
–Require regular follow-up appointments and cannot be refilled early.
-Are not refilled after hours or on weekends under any circumstances.
-May require periodic review of your treatment plan, medication monitoring, or urine drug screening per medical standards.
Refills During Missed or Overdue Appointments
To receive medication refills, patients must remain active and up-to-date with appointments.
If you are overdue for an appointment, a short bridge prescription may be provided at the provider’s discretion, or you may be required to schedule an appointment first.
Telehealth Policies
Dogwood Psychiatry offers secure, HIPAA-compliant telehealth appointments to provide flexible access to care. To ensure safety, legal compliance, and high-quality treatment, all patients must follow the policies below when participating in a virtual visit:
You Must Be Physically Located in North Carolina
State law requires that patients must be physically in the state of North Carolina at the time of their telehealth appointment.
-If you are traveling or temporarily out of state, your provider cannot legally conduct the visit.
-Please notify our office before your appointment if you will not be in North Carolina.
You Must Be in a Private, Safe Location
To protect confidentiality and meet clinical standards:
-Please attend your visit from a private, quiet location, not a moving vehicle, workplace, or public area.
-You must be stationary; visits cannot occur while driving.
Required In-Person Visits
Certain situations require in-person appointments based on North Carolina law and clinical best practices
-New patient appointments are preferred to be in person.
-If a new patient begins with telehealth, an in-person visit is required within 30 days.
-Controlled substances cannot be prescribed without an initial in-person evaluation.
-Patients prescribed controlled medications must be seen in person at least every 6 months.
-All patients are required to have one in-person visit every year, regardless of medication status.
-Patients with eating disorders are typically seen primarily in person to allow for safer monitoring.
-Your provider may request an in-person visit at any time if needed to evaluate side effects, vital signs, or other medical concerns.
Telehealth May Not Be Appropriate for All Conditions
Your provider will determine whether telehealth is clinically appropriate for your symptoms, medication needs, or treatment plan.
Some situations may require an in-office visit for safety or assessment reasons.
Freed Transcription & Privacy
To help our providers stay fully present and focused during your visit, our practice uses Freed, a HIPAA-compliant secure medical-grade transcription tool designed specifically for healthcare settings, that summarizes your appointment in real time. This allows your provider to engage more directly in conversation without needing to type extensive notes.
If you prefer not to use Freed during your session, simply let your provider know, and they will turn it off immediately.
Commonly Asked Questions About Freed
Freed uses HIPAA-compliant encryption, data storage, and processing protocols to protect your information.
Importantly, the audio of your conversation is never stored—only the final summarized note is saved to your medical record.
Yes. You may request access to the visit transcript or the AI-generated summary at any time.
No. Third parties do not have access to your conversations or Freed-generated summaries.
Just let your provider or our team know. We will discontinue Freed for future appointments immediately.
Freed follows a standard 30-day deletion timeline for information it temporarily processes. If needed, we can request earlier deletion.
Freed’s summaries are designed to be accurate and clinically useful. Every summary is reviewed and signed by your provider before being added to your medical record.
There is no negative impact on your care if you decline the use of Freed.
However, using Freed can help your provider:
-Stay fully engaged during your appointment
-Spend less time typing
Produce more complete and accurate visit documentation
Patient Conduct
We are committed to maintaining a respectful, safe, and therapeutic environment for both patients and staff. To ensure high-quality care:
-Respectful communication is required during all interactions, whether in person, by phone, email, or telehealth.
-Disruptive, threatening, or abusive behavior toward staff or providers will not be tolerated.
-Honesty and accuracy in providing medical history, current medications, and symptoms are essential for safe and effective treatment.
-Patients must follow practice policies, including attendance, medication agreements, and payment requirements.
Failure to adhere to these expectations may result in modified treatment plans, limited communication methods, or dismissal from the practice when necessary.
Office Closures
Our office may close or adjust operating hours during inclement weather, holidays, or unforeseen emergencies. If a closure occurs, patients will be notified by phone, email, or patient-portal message as soon as possible. Any appointments affected by a closure will be rescheduled at the earliest availability.
FAQ
All refill requests must be submitted through your Charm patient portal and require up to 72 business hours for processing. Don't forget to include the pharmacy in the notes section of the request.
Refills cannot be handled through voicemail or after-hours messages. We do not provide same-day or emergency refills.
Yes. Telehealth appointments are available for eligible patients who are physically located in North Carolina at the time of the visit. Some appointments—such as new patient evaluations, controlled substance management, annual visits, and certain clinical assessments—may still require an in-person visit.
To review all telehealth requirements, please scroll up to review our full Telehealth Policy.
For non-emergencies you may leave a voicemail or message us via your patient portal.
You can always access care at the nearest emergency room or by calling 911.
Other Resources:
Daymark Mobile Crisis 866-975-9952
National Suicide and Crisis Hotline text or call 988
UNC Appalachian Behavioral Health Walk-in Assessment Clinic open 24/7 :
432 Hospital Drive, Linville, NC
Oasis Domestic Violence Crisis Lines :
Watauga 828-262-5035
Avery 828-504-0911
Spanish Line 828-504-0800
The fastest and most reliable way to contact our team is by sending a message through your Charm patient portal. Phone calls and voicemail are also monitored during business hours, but portal messages allow our staff to respond efficiently and securely.
New appointment requests should be submitted using the Request an Appointment button on our website or by contacting our office directly.
Existing patients may request scheduling changes through the patient portal or by calling during business hours.
To ensure each patient receives the full amount of time they are scheduled for, arriving late may result in the appointment being shortened or rescheduled.
New patients more than 15 minutes late and follow-up patients 10 minutes late or more may need to be rescheduled and may incur a late-cancel fee.
Useful Links
Get In Touch
Physical Address:
400 Shadowline Dr.,
Suite 204
Boone, NC 28607
Email:
Fax: (877) 847-0561
If you are having a psychiatric or medical emergency, please call 911 or go to the nearest Emergency Room. To reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, please call or text 988.
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