No Surprises Act: How To Add A Good Faith Estimate Notice To Your Therapy Website
Many therapists and psychologists have asked me how to add a Good Faith Estimate notice to their websites since the No Surprises Act was passed in early 2022. In this post, I’m going to show you how to display your GFE notice prominently on your therapy website.
Disclaimer:
The information in this article does not constitute and should not be relied upon as legal advice and should not be used as a substitute for obtaining personal legal advice and consultation.
Here are a few resources if you’re interested in learning more about the No Surprises Act:
There are several ways to display a notice, such as a Good Faith Estimate, on your website. For a legal notice such as this, I recommend the following steps:
Step One: Add a new page*
Create a new page that will be dedicated to your Good Faith Estimate notice. Name the page “Good Faith Estimate notice” so that the URL reads: yoursite.com/good-faith-estimate-notice.
In Squarespace, you can easily add a new page under your “Not Linked” section so that you can format the page before adding it to your header or footer navigation.
Select “Blank Page” to start with a blank page.
Step Two: Add your GFE notice
Click “Edit” on your newly created page and paste your Good Faith Estimate notice into the Text Block. Format as necessary. Then, click “Save” on the page.
Step Three: Add a navigation link
Now that your new page is ready, it’s time to link to it in your navigation areas. In my opinion, a footer navigation link should be sufficient, but I’ll show you how to add a header navigation link as well.
Adding a link to your footer navigation:
1. Click “Edit” on any page.
2. Scroll down to your site footer and click “Edit Footer.”
3. In a new or existing Text Block, type “Good Faith Estimate Notice” or whatever you’d like your link to say.
4. Highlight this text and select the hyperlink icon in the text toolbar.
5. In the dialogue box, find your Good Faith Estimate Notice page. Click it to link to the page.
6. Click “Save.”
7. Click “Apply.”
8. Click “Save” on the page.
Now your Good Faith Estimate notice is linked in your website footer. This means that this link will be visible on all of your web pages, therefore prominently displayed.
Adding a link to your Header navigation:
Again, in my opinion, I don’t think displaying a header navigation link for your GFE notice is necessary, but I could be wrong so you’ll have to make that decision for yourself.
If you do want to add a header navigation link, you have a few options in Squarespace:
Option 1: Create a standalone link
This is the easiest option, but may not be ideal if you already have several links in your header navigation. To create a standalone header navigation link, simply drag the page titled “Good Faith Estimate Notice” in your Pages Panel from your Not Linked section up to your Navigation section.
Now it will be displayed in your header navigation.
Option 2: Create a dropdown link
If you have a dropdown folder in your header navigation titled “Insurance & Fees” or something to that effect, your GFE notice page would be a good addition to this dropdown.
Simply drag the page titled “Good Faith Estimate Notice” in your Pages Panel from your Not Linked section up to your Navigation section, and position it underneath an existing folder.
Now your GFE notice page will be displayed in a dropdown in your header navigation.
Learn more about creating dropdown menus in your header navigation here.
Step Four: Add a hyperlink anywhere your rates are mentioned
The No Surprises Act states, ‘...any provider must prominently display a notice “written in a clear and understandable manner” on its “website, in the office, and on-site where scheduling or questions about the cost of items or services occur.”’
We’re getting into interpretation here, but “where scheduling or questions about the cost of items or services occur” suggests that your Good Faith Estimate Notice should be linked whenever rates are mentioned. Possibly near your scheduling options as well.
Again, do your research and/or work with an attorney to find a definitive answer.
Either way, you can easily hyperlink to your GFE Notice page using the same steps outlined under “Adding a link to your footer navigation.” Here they are again:
Click “Edit” on any page.
In a new or existing Text Block, type “Good Faith Estimate Notice” or whatever you’d like your link to say.
Highlight this text and select the hyperlink icon in the text toolbar.
In the dialogue box, find your Good Faith Estimate Notice page. Click it to link to the page.
Click “Save.”
Click “Apply.”
Click “Save” on the page.
*Optional: Add your GFE notice to an existing Policies page
If you’d rather not create an entirely new page dedicated to your GFE notice, I’ve seen therapists add their notice to their existing “Policies” or “Legal” page. Since this page is likely already linked in your site footer, you won’t have to worry about linking a new page.
To add your GFE notice to an existing “Policies” or “Legal” page, simply edit that page and paste your notice wherever you’d like it to appear. Then, click “Save.”
