Important Announcement From
Cherry Creek Psychiatric
Vacation Coverage Notice
Dr. Lipman will be out of the office starting August 19th.
He will return on September 12th.
Dr. Akos Mersich will be covering in the case of emergency.
His office number is: (720) 507-4903.
However, we request that you still use the Cherry Creek Psychiatric main office line unless it truly is an emergency. Holly will relay non-emergency messages that cannot wait for Dr. Lipman’s return to Dr. Mersich.
WHAT IF I NEED ASSISTANCE WHILE DR. LIPMAN IS AWAY?
If you are experiencing a true mental health emergency please visit your nearest emergency department, call 911, or 988. 988 is the new mental health crisis hotline.
Dr. Mersich is also available for emergencies. His office number is:
(720) 507-4903.
However, for non-emergency situations, please continue to call the Cherry Creek Psychiatric main line and allow Holly to route the call as necessary.
PRIOR AUTHORIZATION
Please understand that while Dr. Mersich will be able to cover medications that may need refills, he will not be able to initiate or renew prior authorizations for brand name or otherwise restricted medications. If you believe a prior authorization will be needed during Dr. Lipman’s time away, please let our office know as soon as possible. The only way to know this is to contact your pharmacy or call your insurance company directly. If a pharmacy tells you that a prior authorization is necessary, know that a prior authorization is only necessary for the insurance company to agree to pay for the medication. Prior authorizations are not necessary for the pharmacy to dispense the medication. Insurance companies cannot dictate treatment. You have the right to purchase the medication, and you have a right to purchase only the quantity you need until Dr. Lipman returns.
MED REFILLS FOR CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES
Since changing to electronic prescriptions, we’ve noticed one difficulty. It’s hard to tell if you have additional controlled substance prescriptions available. Some controlled substance medications are not eligible for refill. In order to write for several months at a time, multiple individual prescriptions are written with “Do Not Fill Unit” dates on them. Since these are not technically refills, the prescriptions don’t always appear in the pharmacy system until the “Do Not Fill” date has arrived. They also may not appear in any app you use to check if you have prescriptions ready to pick up. Before calling Dr. Mersich, please contact your pharmacy and reference the date of the last appointment you had at Cherry Creek Psychiatric. Most of the time the prescription will be found.
PERMISSION TO DISPENSE MEDICATION AT SCHOOL
It’s that time of year again. Patients who take medications during the school day may need permission forms filled out. If you know this will be an issue, we request the ability to fill out these forms prior to his time away. The previous year’s school form may also still be active, as they are generally filled out for one year. If there is a form that needs to be filled out, we request that you obtain the proper form and fill out all the information, including the section that looks like it should be filled out by a physician.
Please email that form to: admin@cherrycreekpsychiatric.com and include an email address for the school’s nurse. It may be easier for Dr. Merisch to send a quick email authorizing temporary medication administration.
Dr. Lipman can fill out the form upon his return.
Thank you,
Benjamin Lipman, DO