Josefina Sta Romana
Trusting a psychiatrist with your innermost thoughts and emotions after reading their online profile is quite a challenging task . Here is a summary of what I'm all about , to help you decide if I am the right behavioral health professional for you . I am a board certified psychiatrist with 18 years of clinical experience helping adults from all walks of life. I completed my psychiatry residency at Brown University in Providence, RI where I learned the art and science of psychiatry. I am a licensed physician in 12 states (OH, FL, CA, AZ PA, NY, NJ, IN, MN, WI, GA, RI) . I help people with medications , if necessary , and supportive psychotherapy. I believe the treatment plan should be tailor-made for each individual after a collaborative discussion between the doctor and the patient. My therapeutic style is eclectic, practical , non-judgmental and direct to the point . I want to focus on the “ here and now” --on your present life and how you can manage it. In my opinion, dwelling on and rehashing the past is not helpful. Some of my colleagues may disagree with this. I want to focus on helping you learn the tools you can use to manage what troubles you . My ultimate goal is for you to be happy, independent and resilient and not to be overly dependent on the therapist. In my practice, I abide by ethical guidelines established by the American Telemedicine Association and American Psychiatric Association . I do not have any ties to the pharmaceutical industry nor do I receive any freebies from them ( not even pens) so my medication recommendations are free of bias. " Primum non nocere" ( " First Do No Harm") - a phrase I learned in medical school- is what drives my professional style. If I don't think medications are appropriate for you, that's what I'd tell you I will never prescribe any medication that can do more harm than good. Telepsychiatry has its limitations compared to traditional face-to-face appointments. Due to this issue, I do not offer crisis counseling nor emergency services. Your privacy as well as mine are extremely important to me. I only use HIPAA compliant videoconferencing equipment and secure email messaging through the Vsee Clinic platform . I also use a HIPAA secure non-email -based fax service to ensure patient confidentiality in case I need to fax something for you . The computer I use for my telepsychiatry sessions is protected by a firewall and 2 internet security software to deter hackers. I scan my computer on a regular basis to check for viruses, malware and spyware. If you think I am the right behavioral health provider for you, please read the following before making an appointment. PATIENTS I TREAT: I only see patients 18 years old and older I will not see my friends and family members in my practice due to professional boundary issues. Due to its limitations, direct-to-consumer telepsychiatry is not for everyone. Severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder , developmental disorders with behavioral issues , cognitive disorders, are best treated in a traditional in-person setting. I can't see you in my telepsychiatry practice if you are experiencing any of the following: frequent suicidal thoughts with plan , violent thoughts , recent multiple suicide attempts, recent aggressive behaviors, severe and uncontrollable auditory and/or visual hallucinations , paranoid delusions. SCHEDULING: Evening and weekend appointments are available. Same-day appointments may be available. To schedule an appointment online , please go to https://app.luminello.com/josefinastaromanamd/form , complete the screening form and request an appointment. In your appointment request, list your preferred appointment days and times ( in your time zone) and I’ll try to accommodate your request. You can also send me a message here on Breakthrough.com or call me with your appointment request. If you are looking for same-day appointments, please go to my HIPAA compliant, telemedicine website https://uspsychiatrist.vsee.me/u/jstaromanamd , enter the waiting room and pre-register to get your log-in credentials. If I'm currently online and available for consultations, I can see you right away. If I'm offline, just send me a secure message through that website with your appointment request. I need 1 hour appointments for initial psychiatric intake evaluation , 1 hour for psychotherapy follow up appointment with medication management ( if you're on psychiatric medications), 30 minute follow up appointments if you want to be seen for medication management only and you prefer to see a different therapist CANCELLATION POLICY: If you're unable to keep your appointment, please call at least 24 hours in advance to cancel and reschedule it so that other patients looking for open appointments can use that time slot. PAYMENT OPTIONS: Sorry , I do not accept any health insurance plans other than through MDLive.com . If your insurance plan covers out-of-network providers, I can provide you with documentation you can submit to your insurance company for reimbursement. I accept the following credit cards : Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover and Diners Club. Credit card transactions are processed by stripe.com through my website https://uspsychiatrist.vsee.me/u/jstaromanamd I also accept ACH transfers, Zelle, Paypal, as well as cryptocurrency (bitcoin, ethereum , and litecoin) My website is e-commerce secure . MEDICAL TESTS: If not recently done by your other physicians, I need to check blood tests for your own safety . I want to make sure you do not have any medical problems that cause behavioral symptoms such as thyroid disease, blood disorders, vitamin deficiencies, etc . Some medications require regular blood tests to monitor medication levels and/or side effects . Safety first. You can have the required lab tests done care of your primary care provider or I can order them for you and you can have it done at any lab near you. For Georgia residents: GA state law mandates an annual face to face physical exam if you are under the care of a telemedicine provider. Please make sure you have a primary care provider who can do an annual physical for you and I will coordinate your care with him /her . This should satisfy the GA state requirement. PRESCRIPTION POLICY: All prescriptions are sent electronically. If you need refills, please contact me at least 24 hours before you actually run out of meds. Sorry, I DO NOT prescribe controlled substances like benzodiazepines ( such as Ativan, Xanax, Klonopin, Valium) some sleep meds ( like Ambien, Sonata, Lunesta) and stimulants ( like Adderall, Ritalin, Concerta ) . I firmly believe these controlled substances can't be safely prescribed in a direct-to-consumer telepsychiatry setting . Please feel free to send me a message if you have any questions about me and/or my practice. Thanks for reading my profile. I hope to see you soon. Take care!
